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Shriners Children's Inpatient Rehabilitation Advances Healing and Mobility Following a Burn Injury

The goal of occupational and physical therapy is to prevent the loss of mobility and deformities that can result from a burn injury. Our specialized team of therapists works with patients and families to achieve the best opportunity for a child to live a "life without limits" following a burn injury.

Individualized programs start at the child's bedside soon after admission for acute care and continue throughout their stay to help patients return to their pre-burn level of activity. Therapy involves work in the areas of mobility, scar management, self-care and simply re-learning everyday activities such as walking and eating to assure a child’s total recovery. Everything from blocks, balls and coloring books to treadmills and stationary bikes are used to encourage a child's movement.

Specific treatments and services may vary by location. Please contact a specific location for more information.

Learn About Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Burn Injury

Inpatient rehabilitation following a burn injury involves working with a child, from the time they are admitted, in the areas of mobility, scar management, self-care and simply re-learning everyday activities such as walking and eating to assure a child’s total recovery.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Services

In addition to traditional physical therapy, our expert team also provides the following services for patients following a burn injury:

Nutritional Services

Children experience dramatic changes in their metabolism after a major burn. Their bodies begin to rapidly burn calories in response to their injuries. To keep up with the demand, a carefully planned diet designed by our expert dietitians is required to ensure a healthy recovery.

Splinting

Sometimes, children require the help of temporary splinting to prevent stiffening of scar tissue after surgery. Our team of therapists helps to splint these areas while they are healing so therapy can continue after the splint is removed without loss to a child's mobility.

Pressure Garment Therapy

Customized pressure garments that look like spandex are made on-site to cover a child's healed wounds and to flatten or improve the appearance of raised or hypertrophic scarring. Pressure is initially applied in the form of temporary garments until the customized garments are made. When garments or other forms of pressure are prescribed, we recommend that they be worn 23 hours a day.

Masking

To prevent raised, or hypertrophic, scarring on the face, custom masks are made on-site for the child to wear and apply pressure to their facial burns. Wearing these clear masks all day, except when eating, can dramatically improve the appearance of their burn scars without surgery.

Masks are made by first making an advanced 3-D scan of the child's face. Then, a special mold allows our specialists to fabricate a plastic, clear mask that perfectly fits the child.

The staff did everything to make Ayden feel comfortable. The nurses involved him in his dressing changes. Child life made fidget spinners to distract him. These details made a big difference!
Ashlee, Sacramento
patient wearing pressure garments riding bike

Pressure Garment Therapy Advances the Prevention of Hypertrophic (Raised) Scarring

Shriners Children's leads the way in the advancement of children's burn care, including our use of pressure garments to reduce raised, or hypertrophic, scarring without surgery.

Conditions We Support

View All Related Conditions

Second Degree Burns

Shriners Children's treats second degree burns or partial thickness burns which destroy the top and middle layers of the skin.

Third Degree Burns

At Shriners Children's our team is skilled at treating third degree burns, also referred to as full thickness burns, which are among the most serious burn injuries.

Fourth Degree Burns

World-renowned burn care expertise at Shriners Children's provides hope and life-changing care to children with fourth degree burns.

Burn Scars

With advanced treatments and world-class expertise, Shriners Children's cares for and improves the lives of children with burn scars every day.

Scalds

At Shriners Children’s our burn care team uses advanced diagnostics and innovative treatments to care for children with scalds.

Electrical Burns

At Shriners Children's, our team uses advanced diagnostics and innovative treatments to care for electrical burns.

Chemical Burns

At Shriners Children’s, our burn care team uses advanced diagnostics and innovative treatments to care for children with chemical burns.

Contact Burns

The team at Shriners Children’s Boston can care for your child's contact burn using the most innovative burn care treatments available.

Next Steps

Request an Appointment

Families and caregivers seeking treatment should start by contacting us for an appointment.

Log in to the Patient Portal

Parents and guardians of existing patients can email, request records, schedule appointments and more.

Refer a Patient

Physicians and healthcare providers can request appointments, start transfers or contact us with questions.