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AbilityLab Blog

See the latest news, updates and patient stories from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report for 34th Consecutive Year

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab again has been recognized as the national leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation, topping the U.S. News & World Report list for the 34th consecutive year. It remains the only hospital of any kind to hold this distinction.

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Chicago Tribune: Glen Ellyn dad has survived COVID-19, 9/11 and cancer

Chris Ward was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before Thanksgiving. He had a headache, a rarity for him, and got a rapid test to rule out the virus before the holiday.

By the day after Thanksgiving, his heart was racing and he spiked a fever, so he went to the hospital.

He didn’t leave until February.

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Novel device records, senses and manipulates “mini-brains”

Tiny Machine Poised to Unlock Brain’s Mysteries

A team of scientists, led by researchers has developed novel technology promising to increase understanding of how brains develop, and offer answers on repairing brains in the wake of neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Dr. Monica Perez Earns Elite Grant from NIH

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) — part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — has awarded Monica A. Perez, PT, PhD, with the intensely competitive and prestigious R35 grant to create breakthroughs in spinal cord injury science and therapy.

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Chicago Tribune: Palos Hill Teen on Rebound From Spinal Stroke

Pilkionis has made strides in her recuperation. Now at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Pilkionis is doing rehabilitation the majority of each day, according to her mom.

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Mahmoud A. doing rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

ABC 7: COVID-19 'long-haulers' work to regain basic skills, overcome 'brain fog' months after diagnosis

Chicago's Shirley Ryan Ability Lab created a COVID-19 rehabilitation unit in April. And as the number of cases rise in the area, so does the unit's number of patients getting therapy for the long-term effects of the virus.

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Study participant walks for the first time following injury

Non-invasive neurostimulation paired with physical therapy temporarily mends broken connection between brain and spinal cord in patients with spinal cord injury.

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Jacob Brewer does physical therapy at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

'I'm just thankful to be here': Lightning strike survivor recounts his 4-month journey to recovery

After surviving a lightning strike, after enduring multiple surgeries to open his shins and forearms to save him from compartment syndrome, Jacob Brewer was being treated at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in downtown Chicago where he was receiving physical and occupational therapy.

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Making a home accessible after a severe injury can be overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s one mom’s advice.

At Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, people arrive after lives change in minutes — a gunshot wound, a car crash, a stroke. When patients are discharged, they often need to approach their home differently. Occupational therapist Kelsey Watters said they first consider locations like the bathroom and the entry.

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