Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) are also referred to as physiatry or rehabilitation medicine. The primary objective of physical medicine and rehabilitation is to improve and restore functional ability and quality of life for people. People who have physical impairments or disabilities affect the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, brain, spinal cord, nerves, and tendons.
A physiatrist is a medical professional who has finished training in this area. The objectives of the physiatrist, in contrast to other medical professions that concentrate on a medical “cure,” are to maximize patients' freedom in daily living activities and to enhance the quality of life.
Physiatrists are crucial members of the care team and professionals in creating thorough, patient-centered therapy programs. They make use of both cutting-edge and tried-and-true therapies to enhance function and quality of life for their patients. The patient might be anybody from newborns to elderly people.
Your capacity to operate on the patient may be impacted by a variety of injuries or illnesses, including:
- Diseases of the brain such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or stroke.
- After overcoming a major illness, or extreme weakness (such as infection, heart failure, or respiratory failure).
- Persistent (long-lasting) pain, such as neck and back discomfort.
- Harm to the spinal cord or brain.
- Severe burns, amputation of a limb, or extensive surgery on a bone or joint.
- The progression of severe arthritis.
Services for child rehabilitation may be required for:
- Intellectual handicap
- Issues with language and speech.
- Down syndrome or other genetic conditions.
- A neuromuscular condition such as muscular dystrophy.
- Developmental problems, autism spectrum disorder, or sensory deprivation disorder.
Sports medicine and injury prevention are included in the physical medicine and rehabilitation services.
Where physical medicine and rehabilitation are conducted?
PM&R doctors work in both inpatient and outpatient hospitals, among other therapeutic settings. They are well-versed in the circulatory, rheumatological, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems.
Spinal cord injury, brain damage (both traumatic and non-traumatic), stroke, multiple sclerosis, polio, burn treatment, and musculoskeletal and pediatric rehabilitation are a few of the typical illnesses. Demographics are handled by inpatient physiatrists. To tackle these problems, inpatient physiatrists frequently get training in collaborative team skills. They collaborate with social workers and other allied health therapists such as physical, occupational, and speech therapists.
Orthopedic injuries, spine-related pain and dysfunction, occupational injuries and overuse syndromes, neurogenic bowel and bladder, pressure sore therapy, spasticity management, and chronic pain are among the nonsurgical disorders that outpatient physiatrists treat. Outpatient physiatrists are frequently found in multidisciplinary teams that also include orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and/or other physiatrists.
A person's rehabilitation may take place anywhere. It frequently starts while they are still being treated for their sickness or injury in the hospital. Sometimes it starts before a patient's scheduled operation.
If a patient has serious orthopedic issues, burns, spinal cord damage, or a severe brain injury from a stroke or accident, they may be sent to this kind of facility. Treatment could carry on at a specialized inpatient rehabilitation facility after the patient leaves the hospital.
Outside a hospital, rehabilitation is frequently also carried out in skilled nursing facilities or rehabilitation facilities.
The Rehabilitation team
A team approach is adopted in physical medicine & rehabilitation. Doctors, nurses, other medical personnel, the patient, and the patient's relatives or caretakers make up the team.The rehabilitation team may also include neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, psychiatrists, and general care physicians.
In rehabilitation and physical therapy following medical school, physicians spend an additional 4 or more years of study in this area. Additionally known as physiatrists.
Other health professionals include dietitians, nurses, psychologists, physical therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, and vocational counselors (nutritionists).
What effect rehabilitation does have?
Teaching people how to take care of themselves as much as possible is the aim of rehabilitation treatment. Daily activities including eating, showering, using the restroom, and transitioning from a wheelchair to a bed are frequently the emphasis.Sometimes, the objective is more difficult, such as when one or more body parts must be fully functional again.
Numerous tests are used by rehabilitation specialists to assess a patient's issues and track their progress.
A comprehensive rehabilitation program and treatment strategy may be required to assist with issues that are connected to one's health, body, social, emotional, or employment, such as:
- Treatment for particular medical conditions.
- Suggestions on how to best organize their house to enhance their functionality and safety.
- Assistance with wheelchairs, splints, and other medical supplies.
- Assistance with social and economic problems.
Along with assistance adjusting to their loved one's health, family members and carers may also want guidance on where to go for community services.
Rehabilitation's success is affected by a combination of factors, such as:
- The type and extent of the illness, ailment, or damage.
- The kind and severity of any disabilities & impairments that may ensue.
- The patient's overall health.
- Family assistance.
Understanding the terminology used in physical medicine and rehabilitation:
When a disability is brought on by a disease or accident, rehabilitation is required. Think about the following:A loss of a physical part's usual function, such as the paralysis of a limb, is referred to as an impairment.
A person has a disability if they are unable to carry out a task normally due to an impairment, such as the inability to walk.
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When restrictions hinder someone with a disability from carrying out a typical task of that individual, such as not being able to work, that person has a handicap. A barrier that is imposed by society, the environment, or one's attitude is referred to as a handicap.
Most disabled persons are not seen as handicapped. They engage with society completely and competently by attending school, working, and taking care of their families.
