Education
What is physiatry?
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is the medical specialty dedicated to restoring function, mobility, and independence after illness or injury.
A physiatrist is a physician (MD or DO) who has completed residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Physiatrists treat the whole patient, diagnosing and managing conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
Where surgeons focus on operating and primary care focuses on overall health, physiatrists focus on function: how a patient walks, transfers, dresses, swallows, and lives independently. In a skilled nursing facility, that focus is essential.
What we treat at the bedside
- Post-stroke and post-TBI rehabilitation
- Hip, knee, and joint replacement recovery
- Spinal cord injury and neuromuscular conditions
- Complex pain and spasticity management
- Wound and amputation rehabilitation
- Deconditioning and frailty in older adults