female therapist and male patient during therapy session

Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Burn Injury

Locations That Offer Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Burn Injury

Burn Conditions We Treat

Becoming a Patient

Billing, Insurance & Financial Assistance

Your Visit

Shriners Children's Patient Portals

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

The goal of occupational therapy 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 relearning 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 relearning everyday activities such as walking and eating to assure a child’s total recovery.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Services

In addition to traditional physical therapy, our specialized 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 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.

Scar Management and Burn 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. This process, know as pressure garment therapy, involves initially applying pressure through 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.

Burn Wound Healing Stages

Shriners Children’s provides comprehensive care for all the stages of burn wound healing. From initial treatment to the final stages of scar maturation, our team is dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes. Understanding the different stages of burn wound healing helps tailor treatment to each child’s specific needs.

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

Share Your Story

View All Patient Stories

Request an Appointment

Refer a Patient

888-979-5571

Compassionate, innovative care that improves the quality of life for children and their families.

            {"items":[{"title":"Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada","image":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/images/shc/location-entities/canada/canada_hospital_exterior_961x640_65566.ashx","imageAlt":null,"text":"Pediatric specialty care for children throughout Montreal and beyond","ctaItem":{"ctaLinkIcon":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/icons/si-nonhero-icons-_-24x24px/solid-white-_-24x24px/mappin_24x24_whitesolid.ashx","ctaLinkText":"More About This Location","ctaLink":"/en/Locations/Canada"},"itemId":"e304f501-802a-473c-854b-e1e7274922bb"},{"title":"Shriners Children's Boston","image":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/images/shc/location-entities/boston/boston_hospital_back_view_961x640_64444.ashx","imageAlt":null,"text":"Pediatric specialty care for children throughout Massachusetts and beyond","ctaItem":{"ctaLinkIcon":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/icons/si-nonhero-icons-_-24x24px/solid-white-_-24x24px/mappin_24x24_whitesolid.ashx","ctaLinkText":"More About This Location","ctaLink":"/en/Locations/Boston"},"itemId":"4d7701c3-5519-463a-a24f-5b24e647615e"},{"title":"Shriners Children's Southern California","image":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/images/shc/location-entities/southern-california/front_of_building_961x640_60428.ashx","imageAlt":null,"text":"Pediatric specialty care for children throughout California and beyond","ctaItem":{"ctaLinkIcon":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/icons/si-nonhero-icons-_-24x24px/solid-white-_-24x24px/mappin_24x24_whitesolid.ashx","ctaLinkText":"More About This Location","ctaLink":"/en/Locations/Southern-California"},"itemId":"ffc85f4f-14e6-480d-80b2-456c9db492e9"},{"title":"Shriners Children's Northern California","image":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/images/shc/location-entities/ncal/sacramento_building_exterior_961x640_294.ashx","imageAlt":null,"text":"Pediatric specialty care for children throughout Northern California, Western U.S., Northwestern Mexico and Canada","ctaItem":{"ctaLinkIcon":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/-/media/icons/si-nonhero-icons-_-24x24px/solid-white-_-24x24px/mappin_24x24_whitesolid.ashx","ctaLinkText":"More About This Location","ctaLink":"/en/Locations/Northern-California"},"itemId":"6912ff77-30d5-4c8a-bf67-783c912358d0"}]}

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.

Learn more about Pressure Garment Therapy

Conditions We Support

View All Related Conditions

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.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Burn Injury

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

Learn About Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Burn Injury

Inpatient Rehabilitation Services

Burn Wound Healing Stages

Locations That Offer Burn Care Treatment

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

Conditions We Support

Second-Degree Burns

Next Steps

Request an Appointment

Log in to the Patient Portal

Refer a Patient