A physiatrist is a medical doctor specializing in Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation, a medical specialty dedicated to restoring optimal
function to people with injuries and pain. They can treat problems as
common as an ankle strain or as serious as a spinal cord injury.
Physiatrists are specialists in diagnosing problems in the musculoskeletal system. They perform thorough histories and physical examinations to find the source of our pain, injury, or disability. They may also perform electrodiagnostic studies to evaluate for muscle or nerve damage. They may discover the source of the problem even when standard diagnostic tests don’t reveal specific problems.
In addition, physiatrists direct your treatment team. If you need any other services, (such as those of a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or psychologist), the physiatrist supervises, collaborates with, and coordinates the other health care professionals. The result is a treatment problem designed specifically for you.
Because they offer an aggressive, non-surgical approach to pain and injury, physiatrist are the ideal choice for the treatment of low back and neck pain. Physiatrists have many treatment methods available to reduce or eliminate your problems, and to decrease the possibility of a recurrence.
Osteopathic manipulation uses many different manual techniques to restore maximal and symmetric pain-free motion to the musculoskeletal system in postural balance.
Manual Techniques Can Focus on:
- Joints
- Muscles
- Fascia (Connective tissue)
- Nervous System
Medical Acupuncture: This treatment uses multiple approaches to symptomatic physiological responses, like pain, muscle spasm, and tissue hypersensitivity.
Acupuncture Approaches Include:
- Neuroanatomic Techniques – Regulating the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
- Traditional Methods – Balancing the flow of Qi through the meridians.
Interventional Treatment
Consists of injecting anesthetic (numbing) and/or corticosteroid (antiinflammatory) medications into specific target areas. Specific areas include:
- Trigger points (muscle, connective tissue)
- Peripheral joints (shoulders, knees)
- Spinal joints (facet joints)
- Epidurals (spine)
Types of Conditions Treated
- Acute and Chronic Pain
- Arthritis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tendonitis/Bursitis
- Back and/or Neck pain
- Sports-Related Injuries
- Sprains/Strains
- Injuries From Accidents
- Headaches
- Bulging/Herniated Discs
- Spinal Stenosis
- Myofascial Pain
- Cancer Pain
