What is a Physiatrist?
A physiatrist (fizz ee at' trist) is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. They see patients in all age groups and treat problems that touch upon all the major systems in the body. These specialists focus on restoring function to people.
What common conditions do physiatrists treat?
-Musculoskeletal pain (back, knee, neck, shoulders, ankle, wrist, elbows, foot, joints, arthritis)
-Strokes
-Spinal cord injuries
-Sports injuries
-Brain injuries
-Cancers affecting function
-Carpal tunnel syndrome
-Amputations (prosthetics fitting/training)
-Occupational injuries
-Neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, brain/spinal cord tumors, parkinson’s disease, etc.)
Physiatrists treat acute and chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders. They may see a person who lifts a heavy object at work and experiences back pain, a basketball player who sprains an ankle and needs rehabilitation to play again, or a knitter who has carpal tunnel syndrome. Physiatrists' patients include people with arthritis, tendonitis, any kind of back pain, and work- or sports-related injuries.
Physiatrists also treat serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system that result in severe functional limitations. They would treat a baby with a birth defect, someone in a bad car accident, or an elderly person with a broken hip.
Physiatrists coordinate the long-term rehabilitation process for patients with spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke or other neurological disorders, brain injuries, amputations, and multiple sclerosis.