Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation or physiatry is a particular field of medicine. A doctor who has completed training in this field is referred to as a physiatrist.

Related Topics:
Medicine - Doctor

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Physical medicine and rehabilitation involves the treatment of disorders that alter the function and performance of the patient. The focus of treatment is on the use of principles of rehabilitation as a process through which the daily function of the person can be improved. Emphasis is placed on the optimization of function through the combined use of medications, various forms of physical energy interventions, and experiential training approaches. Rehabilitative training involves the identification of preserved strengths and capabilities and the utilization and enhancement of these residual strengths to maximize functional performance of the person who has been subject to disease-related impairment, and thus to minimize the impact of this impairment in the person's daily life. This involves a holistic approach to the nature of human function which includes not only the motivation and capabilities of the performer, but also environmental contingencies, including both those related to the physical nature of the environment as well as opportunities afforded by the presence of other individuals (eg. caregivers, attendants) who are able to provide physical, supervisory and emotional assistance and direction to the affected person. Common conditions that are treated by physiatrists include pain, amputation, musculoskeletal disorders, neuromuscular disorders, stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and various other disorders affecting the central nervous system. The major concern in the medical management of such individuals by physiatrists is the ability of the person to function optimally within the limitations and constraints placed upon them by a disease process for which no known cure exists. Thus, the general emphasis is not upon the restoration of the premorbid condition of the person, but rather upon the optimization of the quality of life of the person for whom such restoration cannot be achieved.

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