Rehabilitation Medicine

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Rehabilitation Medicine is the branch of medicine dealing with functional restoration of a person affected by physical disability. A physician who has completed training in this field is known to as a physiatrist (fizz eye' a trist). They are the experts in diagnosing and treating problems of the musculoskeletal and neurological system. Through non-surgical intervention the physiatrist diagnose, prescribes, monitors and coordinates the rehabilitation needs of the patient. From an athlete with a knee injury, to an injured worker with lower back pain, an executive with tennis elbow or a person with whiplash after a motor vehicle accident, the goal of the Rehabilitation medicine physician is to treat the whole person not just the patient's symptoms.

What is Rehabilitation Medicine Therapists?

Rehabilitation therapists have a profound effect on the quality of the lives of the people they serve. A degree in occupational therapy will prepare you for this type of profession. Occupational therapists help individuals from all walks of life optimize their self-care, work and play activities to achieve independence and an enhanced quality of life. Physiatrists specialize in restoring optimal function to people with injuries to the muscles, bones, tissues, and nervous system (such as stroke patients).

Know Rehabilitation Medicine of modern times

Rehabilitation medicine is the specialty that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation management of people with disabling medical conditions. It was developed primarily to meet the needs of young adults and those of working age, but aspects of the specialty, particularly relating to technical aids, provision of wheelchairs, orthotics or prosthetics, are relevant to people of all ages. The principal aims are to identify the impairments that limit activity and daily tasks; optimise physical and cognitive functioning; and modify personal and environmental factors to enable greater participation and quality of life.

Conditions covered by Rehabilitation Medicines

1. Rehabilitation medicine covers a large number of disabling conditions.
2. The majority are acquired, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and limb loss.
3. The specialist services that deal with these are neurological and spinal cord injury rehabilitation, limb loss or deficiency rehabilitation and prosthetics, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
4. Rehabilitation medicine consultants also have specialist expertise in assistive technology, including environmental control equipment, wheelchairs and orthotics; these are not disease specific and cover a wide range of complex disabilities.
5. Congenital conditions or those arising in childhood, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies and limb deficiency, will continue into adulthood and require ongoing support, advice and assistance.