Outpatient Locations

Center For Living

Duke Health & Fitness Center physical therapists take a personal and direct approach to meeting your health needs. We do a full physical evaluation, which assesses your range of motion, joint accessory motion, edema, muscle strength, endurance, heart and lung function and performance of activities required in daily living. We work with other health care providers, such as physicians, exercise physiologists, occupational therapists, nurses, psychologists and social workers to give you the best care possible.

Your treatment may vary based on the diagnosis and symptoms. Joint mobilization, pain management, therapeutic exercise, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and assessment of biomechanics are some of the common treatments. You'll have access to the entire fitness center, which includes indoor and outdoor tracks, indoor pool, whirlpool, cardiovascular machines and weight equipment.

Osteoporosis "Better Bones"

Orthopedics

Heart Failure

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Arthritis Rehabilitation Service

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Osteoporosis "Better Bones"

About the program

Osteoporosis is a disease that is characterized by decreased bone density. Because it is a silent disease, it often goes undetected until a bone density test is performed, or worse, a fracture happens. Not only can this be painful, but unwanted deformity can also occur. While it is normally viewed as a disease of older women, about 20 percent of the estimated 44 million Americans living with osteoporosis or osteopenia are men. In fact, more than half of all people 50 and older are affected by this disease.

There are steps you can take to decrease your risk of the disease and to strengthen your bones if you already have osteoporosis. The Duke Department of Physical & Occupational Therapy offers the Better Bones Program at the Duke Health & Fitness Center. The purpose of this program is to educate you about the disease and to give you the personalized tools to prevent osteoporosis, slow down the progression of bone loss, and to prevent future fractures.

The ten session, five-week program offers 30-60 minute personal appointments with a physical therapist on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays, Each participant will be tested in three areas: an exercise endurance test, a functional reach test, and strength testing. These tests, along with the physical therapists’ thorough exam, will form the basis for each participant’s treatment plan.

A comprehensive plan for each participant

After the initial evaluation, the physical therapist works with the participant to help them:

Understand their disease, including the “do’s and don’ts” of exercise and daily activities
Develop the skills and knowledge about how to prevent falls, fractures, and other injuries
Plan an individualized fitness program that incorporates strength training, weight-bearing, and cardiovascular exercise, and promotion of optimal function and alignment
Develop a structured home exercise program to continue toward improved fitness, better balance, and a plan for ongoing prevention strategies

Who will benefit?

If you are at risk for low bone mass or have a diagnosis of osteoporosis, the program can help you improve and build bone mass and teach you how to prevent life-changing fractures.

There is no one single cause of osteoporosis, but some are more at risk than others, including:

Being female
Being thin/small-framed
Low calcium intake
Advancing age
Personal history of fractures
Current low bone mass as determined by a bone density test
Family history of osteoporosis
Estrogen deficiency due to menopause (especially early-onset or surgically- induced) or amenorrhea
Lifestyle issues, such as inactivity, cigarette smoking, and excessive caffeine and alcohol use
Use of certain medications, such as glucocorticoids (prednisone) and others used to treat pulmonary, thyroid, and seizure disorders
Low testosterone levels in men
Being Caucasian or Asian, although African Americans and Hispanic Americans can develop the disease as well

Program fees

Medicare and most insurance companies normally cover the program. There may be a co-payment, based on your insurance plan coverage. Our insurance specialist will assist you with your insurance coverage questions. Call (919)660-6673.

How to register

The Better Bones Program is open to members and non-members of the Duke Health & Fitness Center. For an appointment, call (919)660-6673. You will need a prescription from your physician stating the need for physical therapy to evaluate and treat osteoporosis. You will also need to bring a recent bone density test. If you have not had a bone density test, we can schedule one for you.

Note – for participants with a history of cardiac issues, you may be asked to have a cardiac stress test before beginning the exercise program.

For more information about the Better Bones Program, call Courtney Frankel, PT, MS at (919)660-6748

Orthopedics

Orthopedic Physical Therapy covers a wide spectrum of diagnoses. We have experience with the treatment and management of such conditions as shoulder impingements, back pain, and joint replacements.

The Orthopedic Physical Therapists at The Center For Living are in an excellent position to help patients with a variety of impairments because we are in a community fitness center that caters to the geriatric population. This gives us access to state of the art equipment, and offers an excellent means to transition someone from physical therapy to a supervised program to maintain their new level of fitness. Treatment may include:

Aquatics for unloading joints
Cybex strengthening
Manual Techniques for mobilizing joints
Modalities for pain modification

Disorders of the Musculoskeletal system can result in pain, loss of work, or an in ability to perform necessary daily functions. These disorders may result from an injury, surgery, a long hospitalization, or chronic poor mechanics. Possible diagnoses can include:

Generalized Weakness
Status post joint replacement
Low Back/Neck pain
Tendonitis
Osteoarthritis
Rotator Cuff injuries

Heart Failure

Heart Failure is a condition that is not covered under traditional Cardiac Rehab. We have experience with the treatment and management of such conditions as Congetive Heart Failure and Mitral Valve Stenosis.

Our Heart Failure Program includes patients with many different diagnoses and levels of function. Treatment includes:

Two aerobic stations
PT guided strength training using weights, theraband, and functional movements
Education sessions including nutrition, pharmacology, stress management, breathing techniques, anatomy, and energy conservation.

Heart Failure can result in patients feeling short of breath, fatigued, and unsteady with movement. This creates a downward spiral that we hope to reverse by getting the patients at a higher baseline and giving them the confidence and ability to maintain a higher lavel of function when they graduate. Some possible diagnoses that are appropriate include:

Congestive Heart Failure
Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
Dilated Cardionmyopathy
Valvular regurgitation
Valvular stenosis
Ventricular hypertrophy

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Pulmonary disease includes a large spectrum of breathing difficulties; for example, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lung Cancer, and breathing impairment as a result of lung surgery and treatment. Lung disease affects individuals from all age groups due to environmental and occupational exposures, smoking, and heredity. Pulmonary diseases are extremely prevalent in our country and are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service admits patients on a monthly basis for approximately 23 sessions. Each patient receives an evaluation from our Medical Director (a Duke Pulmonary Physician), Physical and Respiratory Therapists, and an individualized plan of care as an outcome of their evaluation. Therapy is weekdays from 12:30 to 4:30 and includes all major components: stretching, strengthening, and endurance exercise. All exercise is supervised and monitored by Therapists. A daily education session covers multiple topics that allow you to manage your disease with greater confidence and competence.

WHO WILL BENEFIT

Do you have shortness of breath? Are you on oxygen? Have been told by your Physician that you have a Pulmonary disease? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, Pulmonary Rehabilitation is appropriate for you.

We work with people of all ages and levels of physical ability that have breathing difficulties. Because our services are individualized, no one is too well, too weak, or too old to benefit from our therapeutic instruction.

PROGRAM COST/HOW TO REGISTER

Most private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid cover much of the cost of Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Our Duke Financial Care Counselor is available to assist you with your insurance questions and can be reached @ 919-660-6673.

If you have questions or want to register for Pulmonary Rehabilitation, call 919-660-6752 or 919-660-6619 (Fax# 919-681-7467). If you prefer email, you may contact us at: Michael.Ivey@duke.edu or Rebecca.Crouch@duke.edu.

Arthritis Rehabilitation Service

The Arthritis Rehabilitation Service is dedicated to helping individuals with arthritis maintain and increase their function and become effective as self managers of their symptoms.

Do you have ?

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Other Rheumatological Conditions

If you have Arthritis you know how hard it can be:

To climb stairs
To make a bed
To work in the yard
To simply take a walk!

The Arthritis Rehabilitation Service is an out patient physical therapy service open to anyone interested in improving self-management skills of arthritis and its symptoms.

Meets for three sessions each week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning for six consecutive weeks.
Includes an Arthritis Foundation Certified pool class each session
An extension patient education lecture series with arthritis related topics including Arthritis friendly exercise, Osteoporosis, Fall Prevention
Staff includes 2 Physical Therapist with low patient to staff ratios for group sessions

The Arthritis Rehabilitation Service at the Duke Center for Living is designed to help you lead a more active, more rewarding life!

Contact Information: Phone: 1-919-660-6659 Referrals: 1-919-660-6673 Fax: 1-919-681-7467

Contact Us & Scheduling

Physical therpay at the Center for Living is open to members and non-members of the Duke Health & Fitness Center. For an appointment, call (919)660-6673. You will need a prescription from your physician stating the need for physical therapy to evaluate and treat your problem.

Note – for participants with a history of cardiac issues, you may be asked to have a cardiac stress test before beginning the exercise program.