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A physiatrist, pronounced fizz ee at' trist, is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R).
A physiatrist treats disorders such as:
- Back Pain
- Sports Injuries
- Stroke Rehabilitation
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Chronic Pain
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Arthritis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
In
addition to management used in general medical practice, physiatrists
use therapeutic exercise, heat, light, water, electricity, bracing,
prosthetic and adaptive devices to treat patients of all ages.
Physiatrists also attend specifically to physiologic adaptation to
disability and to preventing complications or deterioration secondary
to disabling conditions. The goal of the physiatrist is to provide
medical care to patients with pain, weakness, numbness, and loss of
function so that they can maximize their physical, psychological,
social, and vocational potential.
As people survive
conditions that once would have been fatal, the field of physiatry is
moving to the forefront of medicine. The specialty serves all age
groups and treats problems that touch upon all the major systems of the
body.
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