Rehabilitation after illness or injury

Key facts

Rehabilitation is the process of improving your health and wellbeing after illness, injury or surgery.
Rehabilitation might help you get moving again, regain your strength or find new ways of doing things.
Rehabilitation may involve specialist doctors and allied health professionals.
Rehabilitation can be done in a hospital, a clinic or in your home.
The process may last a few days or weeks, or continue over several years.

What is rehabilitation?

If you are injured or have had a serious illness, you might need extra help to get better. Rehabilitation services can help you recover from:

a stroke
a heart attack
an injury, including a workplace injury
a spinal injury
a brain injury
burns

Rehabilitation can be a long, step-by-step process.

Life after your injury or illness may be different to your life before. The goal of rehabilitation is to help you return to living the best life possible, despite any changes.

How can rehabilitation help me?

Rehabilitation might help you:

get moving again
regain your strength
relearn skills or find new ways of doing things
manage your treatments
access aids and equipment
manage your medical appointments

Talk to your doctor about what you would like rehabilitation to do for you. You can work with your doctor to set some goals and work out how to get there.

As well as helping you physically recover, you may need some adjustments in other areas of your life. Rehabilitation can also provide:

social support
assistance with returning to work

You will play a very important part in your rehabilitation.

How long does rehabilitation take?

The length of rehabilitation depends on:

the help you need
your injury or illness
your individual pace

Rehabilitation may continue over several weeks, months or years. It can be a lifelong journey. You will need to be patient — it takes time, but it can help.

Types of rehabilitation services

Rehabilitation services are usually different from standard hospital services. There are specialised staff involved, such as:

specialist rehabilitation doctors
rehabilitation counsellors
psychologists
nurses
physiotherapists
occupational therapists
dietitians
speech therapists
social workers
other allied health professionals

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Rehabilitation can be done in different settings. These include both as an:

inpatient — when you're in hospital
outpatient — when you go to an appointment

Inpatient rehabilitation

Inpatient rehabilitation may be done in a:

special hospital ward, like a stroke unit
specialist rehabilitation hospital or rehabilitation centre
private hospital

Health professionals will work with you, your family and other carers to create a rehabilitation plan. This will set goals and include a discharge plan for going home.

Outpatient rehabilitation

Outpatient rehabilitation might involve health workers visiting you at home.

It may also involve attending clinics or taking part in rehabilitation programs. Sometimes these are group programs with other people who need rehabilitation.

How can I manage rehabilitation costs?

You may be eligible for Medicare rebates.

If you have been injured at work, you might be eligible for workers compensation.

If you have a service-related injury, your veteran (Opens in new tab) white or gold card can help cover some treatment costs.

Private health insurance might also offer you rebates for rehabilitation, depending on your level of cover.

Resources and Support

If you want to know more about rehabilitation, talk to your doctor or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak to, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

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Last reviewed: August 2024

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