Physiatrists play an integral role in expediting recovery after injury.

When faced with the decision of which medical practitioner to see, the symptoms you suffer will generally guide you in the proper direction. When your ailment contains a “physical” component such as a torn knee ligament, sprained ankle, strained low back, pain in the wrist or if you suffer the consequences of a cerebovascular accident (stroke) or are recovering from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), these are just a few of the symptoms for which you should seek the care of a PHYSIATRIST (a medical specialist with advanced training and expertise in physical medicine and rehabilitation).

Having the acumen to accurately diagnose and implement an appropriate treatment regimen, physiatrists play an integral role in expediting recovery after injury.  In particular, osteopathic physiatrists have additional training for the application of manual therapy (known as osteopathic manipulative therapy-OMM) to foster a more speedy recovery.  So, whether you are an elite athlete recovering from a potential career ending injury, a laborer suffering with intractable low back pain, a weekend warrior who is recovering from bypass surgery, a sedentary individual who is de-conditioned, or one who has lost a limb and requires training to walk with a prosthetic limb, seeking the care of an osteopathic physiatrist is your most prudent option.

Physiatric specialists must complete four years of training at an accredited (ACGME-Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or AOA-American Osteopathic Association) medical school followed by four years of specialty residency training. Upon completion of this training, several seek additional fellowship training in one of many fields of physical disability. These include but are not limited to: electrodiagnostic medicine, sports medicine, pain management, and pediatrics.

After residency and fellowship training is completed, maintaining academic excellence and aptitude is essential. To assure such, board certification is offered to all practitioners.  After satisfactorily completing written and oral examinations, physiatrists are conferred “board certification.”  This designation is bestowed to those achieving the highest degree of excellence.

We live in a world of medical isolation. Generally, most physicians treat an isolated body part or system and unfortunately their expertise does not often include adjacent body parts or systems. Physiatric specialists, however, believe that body parts and systems inter-relate.  In such, physiatric specialists view specific injury and loss of body function along with its implication on other body parts and systems.  When one suffers an ankle injury, the physiatrist delves into its effect on the knee, hip and low back and then will take a multi system approach to correct injury and re-establish optimal function.

For further information or to speak with one of our PHYSIATRIC specialists, please contact the AOCPMR here.