Student FAQs

What are your normal hours? We typically see patients Mon-Fri from 8am-4pm or 9am-4pm in the winter.

What should I wear? Layers! We have all different types of weather, and it can often change during the day. Our recommendation is to wear nice looking, modest athletic or hiking gear (see Prana or Mountain Hardware for examples). We do allow hats, please avoid any major graphics or slogans. There is Destination Rehab swag that you can purchase at a discount!

What does a typical day look like? We see one patient per hour, if we are outdoors then the treatments will be at the same location for the duration of the day. Locations are scheduled the week before so you will know where to meet us each day. We try to get our patients to work hard while also utilizing neuro-based recovery techniques. We also have several unique pieces of equipment like Bioness, the Trionic walker and different AFO options. In addition to patient visits, we also host fitness and group programs and provide community-based education for our local support groups.

What diagnoses do you see? Our clinic is exclusively Neurologic in focus- the most common diagnoses that we see are Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Brain Injury, Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury and Cerebral Palsy. Our patients range in age from 18 to 90+. Most have a love of the outdoors and come to our clinic because they value being active, independent and outside.

How are you different from traditional therapy? Traditional physical therapy is incredibly important to the recovery process and we are not trying to replace it, but to provide an additional avenue for accomplishing therapy goals. Most of our activities are based outdoors or in the community, so we are able to utilize natural barriers that are often not available in the clinic environment. We help our participants leap to a new level of confidence and skill through unique challenges and a more focused timeframe. Our program could be utilized to enhance a regular therapy program, or as a way to break into a new skill set.

How do you collaborate with adaptive sports programs? Our program is a bridge to adaptive sports as well as injury prevention. We see many adaptive athletes and work with our patients to help them feel confident returning to sport and connecting with the local adaptive sports program.

What does the typical patient look like? We have patients and participants in their 20s and some who are in their 90s. We have a wide range of activity levels- our participants use wheelchairs, walkers, hiking poles, and some are working on trail running. We do not provide nursing care or personal care such as toileting, dressing, feeding, etc. Participants are invited to bring their caregiver or other support team member along, and we will work with them on an individual basis. We also provide caregiver training for ergonomics, transfer and positioning techniques

We expect every participant to arrive with the willingness to work hard and ready to cheer on others during our group activities. Positive support is a huge aspect of recovery and we can encourage each person to reach even greater accomplishments than they would have thought possible. We are a team, and we are committed to work together to see everyone achieve their goals.

What are the current Oregon COVID rules? As healthcare workers, we are required to wear a mask when indoors with a patient. Currently, there is no mask requirement outdoors. We often will defer to the comfort of each patient so that they feel secure during treatment sessions.