What Is a Physiatrist or a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor?
A physiatrist is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. These specialists focus on restoring function to people. "The important part of some other specialties is diagnosis. Our greatest challenge is to restore the patient to optimal functioning."
Physiatry focuses on the functional abilities of the patient and not only on diseases or injuries, and attempts to ameliorate them and give a better quality of life to disabled people. The goal of physical medicine and rehabilitation is to assist disabled patients in achieving their maximum physical, psychosocial, and vocational potential. Care of patients with a disability demands more than skill as a physician; it demands a sensitive and discerning appreciation of the patient and the patient's family, friends, work, and recreation. Their approach to patients requires listening and observing, but also employs state-of-the-art technological support to assist in the diagnosis with electromyography, nerve conduction studies and evoked potentials, and in the healing process cutting-edge technologies such as functional electrical stimulation (FES) in spinal cord injury, and prosthetics and orthotics.
Physiatrists practice in rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and in private offices. They often have broad practices, but some concentrate on one area such as pediatrics, sports medicine, geriatric medicine, brain injury, or many other special interests. They treat the complete range of disabilities including newborns with congenital birth defects, the elderly who have pain, and people of all ages with traumatic injuries.
Physiatrists treat acute and chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders, people with arthritis, tendonitis, any kind of back pain, and work- or sports-related injuries.
Physiatrists also treat serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system that result in severe functional limitations.
Patients commonly seen by physiatrists include children and adults with disabilities such as:
- hemiplegia
- paraplegia
- quadriplegia
- amputations
- arthritis
- fractures
- neuromuscular diseases
- cerebral palsy
- musculoskeletal injuries
- multiple trauma
- brain injuries
- sports injuries
- cancer
- cardiac disorders
- pulmonary disorders
- vascular diseases
- burns
- industrial injuries
- neuropathies
- multiple sclerosis
- poliomyelitis
- back and neck pain
- congenital disorders
- prosthetic, orthotic, and wheel chairs prescriptions
- amongst many others
A very important aspect of this specialty is that PMR are trained to work in a multidisciplinary team and they coordinate the long-term rehabilitation process for patients. Comprehensive rehabilitation frequently involves the integration of medical and surgical care with a program that may include rehabilitation nursing, physical and occupational therapy, O&P experts, speech therapy, psychosocial services, vocational counseling, patient and family education, sports and therapeutic recreation.