Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

A Physiatrist is a medical doctor with additional qualifications enabling specialization in the evaluating and treating of patients with physical disabilities. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Rehabilitation medicine), is the medical specialty concerned with these disabilities that may result from sports or occupational injuries, from trauma such as head or spinal cord injury, or neurological disease such as stroke. In addition, disabilities may be congenital or childhood-onset impairments, such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida. The Physiatrist manages medical complications such as spasticity, pain, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and nutrition. With the use of exercise therapy, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics, and other electrical and mechanical devices the physiatrist along with an interdisciplinary team attempt to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social, and vocational function.