Skip to main content

Neurorecovery Clinic

Recovering from an acute neurological injury, like a stroke or seizure, can be an overwhelming experience. The UNC Neurorecovery Clinic’s goal is to help patients recovering from acute neurological injuries by assisting them in getting the care they need like physical therapy and follow-up appointments with the appropriate doctors and specialists.

The clinic collaborates with other physicians working on advancing neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Maryland, the University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital, and others in the Neurorecovery Consortium.

The Neurorecovery Clinic focuses on the following recovery methods:

Functional Recovery
Functional recovery is the process of regaining abilities that have been lost due to injury or illness. This can include physical abilities like walking or talking, as well as mental abilities like thinking and remembering.
Screening for post-ICU syndrome (PICS)
Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) is a group of problems that people can experience after surviving a life-threatening illness and staying in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). These problems can include physical, mental, and emotional difficulties. Some common symptoms of PICS are:

  • Physical: Muscle weakness, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
  • Mental: Difficulty thinking, concentrating, and remembering.
  • Emotional: Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These problems can affect a person’s ability to return to work, take care of themselves, and enjoy their daily life. It’s important to know that PICS is a common condition, and there are treatments available to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Personalized Prognosis

A personalized prognosis is a prediction about a patient’s future health based on their specific situation and illness. Unlike a general prognosis, which is based on common outcomes for a particular condition, a personalized prognosis takes into account the patient’s characteristics like:

  • Age
  • Overall Health
  • Severity of the illness or injury
  • How the patient has responded to treatment
  • Lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, and exercise

By considering these factors, doctors can provide a more accurate and tailored prediction for each patient.

Palliative Care

Sometimes, full recovery after an illness or injury is not possible. When this is the case, doctors turn to palliative care which are medical treatments focused on improving a patient’s quality of life.

Expertise Partners
Clinic Location Patient Referral

Expertise

Partners

The Neurorecovery Clinic partners with UNC Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, UNC Neurosurgery, and other UNC Neurology subspecialties physicians.

UNC’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) offers a full spectrum of care – including acute care, outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and long-term care consultation. Specifically, PM&R specializes in brain injury rehabilitation, spine and pain care, as well as, stroke rehabilitation.

Learn more about the services and specialties provided by UNC PM&R below.

UNC PM&R Services & Specialties

 

UNC’s Department of Neurosurgery provides advanced neurosurgery services in Chapel Hill for adult and pediatric patients, offering surgical expertise in brain and skull base tumors, spinal neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, and cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery.

Learn more about the services provided by UNC Neurosurgery below.

UNC Neurosurgery Services

Patient Referral

Neurorecovery patients should ask their provider to refer them directly to the Neurorecovery Clinic.

Providers : please specifically request Dr. Julia Carlson in the patient referral. 

  • Providers who have access to UNC CareLink can submit a referral online. If you would like to enroll, click on the link and select “Request an Account.” You may wish to download an overview of the referral portal or view a step-by-step guide on how to sign up.
  • If you don’t have a UNC CareLink account, please fax a completed referral form, including a specific referral question and records to (984) 974-5437. Please call (984) 974-7337 if you have any questions.

For more information on the referral process, please visit the Referring Provider Resources page.

Referring Provider Resources