Physician Services

Two specialists in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R or physiatry) treat patients of all ages for rehabilitative medical care at LifeScape Rehabilitation Center, 1020 W. 18th Street, Sioux Falls.

Julie Johnson, MD, is Medical Director of Rehabilitation Programs at Children’s Specialty Hospital at LifeScape and LifeScape Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Johnson brought PM&R services to LifeScape in October 1998. As Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services until 2017, she oversaw the start of the Children's Specialty Hospital at LifeScape and the LifeScape Rehabilitation Center. She continues to provide rehabilitation services in Sioux Falls and outreach services in Aberdeen, SD. Dr. Johnson has served on the LifeScape board of directors and is a clinical professor for the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Johnson earned her medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. She also completed a two-year Bush Medical Fellowship in pediatric rehabilitation and physician leadership. Dr. Johnson was previously the Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Sioux Falls. Prior to that, she practiced in Michigan and Colorado.

Charlie Broberg, PA-C joined the PM&R team at LifeScape in 2015. Prior to completing his medical training as a physician assistant at the University of North Dakota, Charlie practiced chiropractic for 16 years. He sees individual patients and through specialty clinics which include therapists or orthotic and prosthetic clinicians, and DME specialists and technicians. LifeScape's medical care of his daughter introduced Charlie to PM&R medicine and helped inspire a career in complex medical care.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R)--also known as physiatry or rehabilitative medicine--aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. This discipline treats physical impairments affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

Our unique expertise and caring staff make LifeScape the best in the region.

Patients with the following diagnoses can benefit:

• Cerebral palsy
• Developmental delays
• Spasticity
• Hypotonia
• Hemiparesis
  
• Stroke
• Brain injury
• Toe Walking
• Congenital brain malformations
• Spinal cord injury, spina bifida, and other spinal cord conditions
• Gait abnormalities/problems with walking

On-site treatment options include:

• Baclofen pump management
• Injections for severe spasticity (Medications may include botulism toxin.)
• Medication management
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic
• Tone Evaluation and Management (TEAM) Clinic
• Assistive technology clinic
• Orthotic/Prosthetic Management
• Wheelchair, walker, and other mobility equipment management