Partners in Health

Does your child have poor posture, balance or coordination? Do they fatigue easily with activity? Do they fall on the ends of the movement spectrum - either constantly on the move or avoiding physical activity altogether? These are signs that your child may have some sort of vestibular dysfunction.

Wintertime in Minnesota can be tough on parents and kids alike. It can be challenging to find creative movement opportunities for kids when you are cooped up inside during colder temperatures. Movement opportunities not only burn off energy, but provide deep pressure, muscle contraction and joint compression that can be key contributors to feeling calm.

The term “robot” can conjure up images of machines performing the actual surgery, but the surgeon is in charge, using the da Vinci’s tiny robotic instruments as an extension of their own hands and guiding them with controls on a separate console. St. Francis is proud to have two da Vinci robot's "on staff" to assist our providers with minimally invasive surgeries.

Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and experiencing interference with their day-to-day movements may greatly benefit from Lee Silverman Voice Therapy®- Big (LSVT-Big). LSVT-Big is a nationally recognized rehabilitation therapy program that is proven to help people with Parkinson’s Disease improve upon the disease’s impact on their walking, balance and other activities of daily living, such as writing or dressing.

Keeping an athlete healthy and playing the game they love is not only important to players and their families, its central to the daily work of athletic trainers from St. Francis Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine.

Two local high schools work with dedicated athletic trainers from St. Francis Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine for their practices and events. Ashley Qualley, MS, LAT, ATC, is the athletic trainer at Shakopee High School and Kristie Heger, LAT, ATC, is the athletic trainer at Jordan High School. Both have a passion for keeping kids in the game by treating and preventing injuries.

March is National Athletic Training Month and a time to spread awareness around the important work athletic trainers do each day. To provide insight and share their experiences, Kristie and Ashley answer questions about their roles, describe their typical day, and explain what they like most about working with student athletes.

After experiencing a stroke affecting her right side in December 2019, St. Francis patient Debbie Z. began her healing journey through rehabilitation and occupational therapy. To build upon her recovery efforts, she decided to add acupuncture to her care routine. Debbie began post-stroke acupuncture visits with Kristianne Schultz, licensed acupuncturist and doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioner at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, in early 2020. Using general acupuncture techniques and a special acupuncture technique called Xing Nao Kai Qiao, Kristianne began to treat Debbie’s symptoms once a week.

St. Francis and Allina Health board-certified plastic surgeon, Mahsa Moghaddam Smoot, MD, addresses five things to consider if you are thinking about having a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure.

St. Francis makes it our number one priority to provide the highest quality care and healing experience that we would expect for ourselves and our families.

Whether it's a fall, a motor vehicle accident or a sports injury, head trauma and concussions are becoming more numerous. The symptoms that follow a concussion can create problems for a person trying to complete daily tasks. St. Francis Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine has a team of specialists trained in concussion therapy to help those struggling with concussion symptoms.

With the COVID-19 pandemic extending through 2020, we're committed to caring for our community. St. Francis has taken multiple precautions to ensure your safety, while providing you with quality care, close to home. Read more to learn how St. Francis is keeping you safe in our facilities.