What is a PHysiatrist?
What is a Physiatrist?
A physiatrist (fizz ee at' trist) is a physician specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) who diagnoses, evaluates, and treats patients with physical disabilities from a non-surgical approach.
These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the muscle & skeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury, or stroke.
Restoring function by treating the "whole person"
The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Dr. Lee attends to the "whole person" recognizing that physical, social, psychological, and vocational components play a large role in your well-being and health. Regardless of the nature and severity of the patient's injury or condition, the goal of the PM&R physician is to treat the whole person, not just the patient's symptoms.
Learn more about Dr. W.C. Lee's RESTORE difference >>
Improving quality of life
Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices to help improve function and achieve pain relief. 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 to improve their quality of life.
Multidisciplinary approach
Physiatrists take a multidisciplinary approach to your care and help to care for your injuries while coordinating your care with your orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, acupuncturist, chiropractor, psychologist, psychiatrist, case manager, and primary physician.
What common conditions do physiatrists treat?
-Muscle and Bone injuries & pain (back, knee, neck, shoulders, ankle, wrist, elbows, foot, joints, tendonitis, arthritis, fibromyalgia)
-Sports injuries
-Occupational injuries
-Muscle spasms
-Spasticity
-Cancers affecting function
-Carpal tunnel syndrome
-Amputations (prosthetics fitting/training)
-Cervical/lumbar radiculopathy
-Sciatica
-Migraines
-Neuropathy
-Occupational injuries
-Neurological conditions (e.g. Strokes, multiple sclerosis, brain & spinal cord injuries, guillain barre, ALS, parkinson’s disease)
What are some examples of conditions that physiatrists treat?
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 amputations, spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological disorders.
A physiatrist (fizz ee at' trist) is a physician specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) who diagnoses, evaluates, and treats patients with physical disabilities from a non-surgical approach.
These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the muscle & skeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury, or stroke.
Restoring function by treating the "whole person"
The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Dr. Lee attends to the "whole person" recognizing that physical, social, psychological, and vocational components play a large role in your well-being and health. Regardless of the nature and severity of the patient's injury or condition, the goal of the PM&R physician is to treat the whole person, not just the patient's symptoms.
Learn more about Dr. W.C. Lee's RESTORE difference >>
Improving quality of life
Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices to help improve function and achieve pain relief. 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 to improve their quality of life.
Multidisciplinary approach
Physiatrists take a multidisciplinary approach to your care and help to care for your injuries while coordinating your care with your orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, acupuncturist, chiropractor, psychologist, psychiatrist, case manager, and primary physician.
What common conditions do physiatrists treat?
-Muscle and Bone injuries & pain (back, knee, neck, shoulders, ankle, wrist, elbows, foot, joints, tendonitis, arthritis, fibromyalgia)
-Sports injuries
-Occupational injuries
-Muscle spasms
-Spasticity
-Cancers affecting function
-Carpal tunnel syndrome
-Amputations (prosthetics fitting/training)
-Cervical/lumbar radiculopathy
-Sciatica
-Migraines
-Neuropathy
-Occupational injuries
-Neurological conditions (e.g. Strokes, multiple sclerosis, brain & spinal cord injuries, guillain barre, ALS, parkinson’s disease)
What are some examples of conditions that physiatrists treat?
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 amputations, spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological disorders.