TIRR Rehabilitation Centers and Baylor Sports Medicine Open Facility in Scurlock Tower

TIRR Rehabilitation Centers, in cooperation with the sports medicine orthopedic surgeons at Baylor College of Medicine, has opened a 13,000 square-foot Sports Medicine Clinic outpatient rehabilitation facility at 6560 Fannin St.

E. Ashley Smith, president and CEO, TIRR Systems, recently made the announcement.

The new location, the 13th for TRC in Southeast Texas, is on the fourth floor of the Scurlock Tower building, immediately adjacent to the Texas Medical Center.

The new Scurlock Tower location offers treatment for all sports-related injuries, with an emphasis on return to function and pain free activities. Care is offered for preoperative and postoperative patients as well as nonoperative chronic conditions. Therapies include physical, sports, manual and orthopedic, as well as sports-specific rehabilitation. Plans call for the addition of a hand and upper extremity therapy program in the near future.

There are 10 Baylor orthopedists involved in the agreement between The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research and the medical school. The physicians see patients with knee, ankle, shoulder and hip problems.

"The TRC-Scurlock staff, like clinicians at all our TIRR Rehabilitation Center locations, is committed to excellence and doing whatever it takes to achieve ultimate outcomes," said physical therapist Jeff W. Littmann, senior operations officer for TIRR Rehabilitation Centers.

The TIRR and Baylor relationship includes outpatient therapy in the Texas Medical Center, as well as a community Sports Medicine Outreach Program whereby Houston-area high school and college athletic trainers have access to orthopedic physicians and the rehabilitation provider. There are already 16 licensed athletic trainers in place, working with the coaches of the schools' various competitive sports teams.

"The ultimate goal is to provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation in a clinical and athletic field setting" Littman said. "Baylor Sports Medicine and TIRR Rehabilitation Centers are making a combined commitment to further research into the field of sports-related injuries, and will blend that with our common desire to give patients ultimate results."

"You will find a team atmosphere at our Scurlock location. Each therapist works in his or her own specialty area, which means each will see patients with either shoulder pathologies, knee, shoulder and ankle injuries, or lower extremity injuries," Littmann continued. "The staff of therapists is aggressive yet sensitive to the individual needs of each patient, which includes high school, college or professional athletes, as well as `weekend warriors.' Our patients receive individualized treatment based on their stated rehabilitation goals and preinjury activity levels."

David Macha is the sports medicine clinical supervisor. Macha is a licensed physical therapist assistant and a certified fitness therapist with the International Sports Science Association. Therapists on staff include Ron Johnson, who holds a masters in physical therapy from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston; Melanie McNeal, who did her graduate work at Texas Woman's University; and Tim Poppe, whose master's work was also done at UTMB-Galveston.

Extended clinic hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

TIRR Rehabilitation Centers is a company of TIRR Systems, an organization that provides a comprehensive continuum of medical rehabilitation. The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research is in the Texas Medical Center, and outpatient therapies are offered at TIRR Challenge Program and TIRR Outpatient Therapy Services, as well as the 13 TRC outpatient therapy locations. TIRR, a not-for-profit hospital, is a teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. TIRR has been recognized as one of America's best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report every year since the publication's nationwide survey of physicians began.

For more information call (713) 521-0020.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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