Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as a specialty has a broad focus on restoring and improving function. Because so many diseases affect an individual's function, this specialty has a very broad skill set. Physiatrists (doctors who specialize in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) are specialty-trained to treat and manage the following conditions:

  • Non-operative sports injuries and other musculoskeletal injuries
  • Arthritis
  • Amputations
  • Nerve disease
  • Pain syndromes
  • Movement disorders such as spasticity
  • Brain injuries
  • Spinal Cord injuries
  • Stroke syndromes
  • Work injuries and disability evaluations
Unique Treatment Skillset

Physiatrists have a unique treatment skillset which they use to treat the above and many other injuries. Some of these treatments include:

  • Evaluation and prescription for appropriate rehabilitatative therapies (physical, occupational, speech therapies, etc.)
  • Evaluation and prescription for prosthetic limbs
  • Evaluation and prescription for orthotic braces
  • Treatment of pain syndromes using both medication and interventional (targeted injection) procedures
  • Spasticity management using medicine, botox injections, and baclofen pump management
  • Evaluation and prescription for assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walking aids, etc.
  • Physical manipulations to relieve musculoskeletal pain or lost function
  • Electrodiagnostic evaluation of nerve and muscle disease