Physical Medicine

PM&R, also known as physiatry, is a branch of medicine devoted to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurologic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary and other disorders that may produce temporary or permanent impairment and associated functional disability. PM&R provides care for a broad spectrum of disorders including multiple trauma, brain injury, spinal cord disorders and injuries and stroke. PM&R also focuses on restoring function to people with problems ranging from physical mobility limitations to those with complex cognitive impairments. PM&R physicians may have specialty or fellowship training to treat children, as well as adults. Musculoskeletal injuries and severe and persistent pain syndromes, that contains the identification and treatment of sports and work accidents, back and neck pain illnesses and degenerative illnesses like arthritis.

 Electrodiagnostic medicine, that calls for special learning electromyography and nerve conduction studies and it is used for assessing various neurological disorders. Rehabilitation for serious disabilities and functional limitations, including developmental illnesses, multiple injury, spinal cord injuries, traumatic and acquired head injuries, cancer, stroke, amputations, multiple sclerosis along with other neurological disorders. What kind of education is needed becoming a physiatrist? A physiatrist completes 4 years of graduate medical education, an one year intern and a minimum of 3 additional years of postdoctoral residency training. Many physiatrists complete fellowship trained in a particular area of the specialization, like pediatric rehabilitation, geriatrics, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, traumatic head injury, spinal cord injury, sports medicine or pain management.

To become board certified in PM&R, physiatrists take both a written and oral examination administered by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The ABPM&R has agreements with the boards of pediatric rehabilitation, internal medicine and neurology for special training programs leading to certification in those specialties. Physiatrists practice in rehab centers, hospitals and in private offices. Some physiatrists focus their practice on a specialty area like pediatric rehab, geriatrics, sports medicine or brain injury. Physiatrists provide a wide array of treatments, but they don't perform operation except for small wound debridement. They prescribe drugs, prosthetic devices, orthoses and assistive devices.