Posted by Signature Medical Group on Saturday, November 5, 2016 in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Do you suffer from pain in your bones, joints or muscles? Are you looking to cure your aches without surgery? A Signature Medical Group physiatrist may be what you need.
A physiatrist (fi-zahy-uh-trist) is a doctor who specializes in physical medicine, rehabilitation, and pain medicine. These spine specialists focus on the body’s musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. Physiatrists treat patients of all ages with problems ranging from simple low back sprains to complex disorders, such as spinal cord injury. Their approach includes treating the entire patient, not just symptoms.
Physiatrists take the patient’s medical history, perform a physical and neurological examination, order X-rays or other imaging studies, prescribe medications, and perform spinal injections.
Among the conditions they treat are:
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Back pain and neck pain
- Joint replacement
- Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions
- Birth defects such as cerebral palsy
- Pain problems following trauma and surgeries
- Burns
- Cardiac disorders
- Osteoporosis
- Spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia
- Brain injuries
- Strokes
- Amputations
- Multiple sclerosis
- Polio and post-polio syndrome
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Physiatrists do not perform surgery; they utilize nonsurgical treatment methods such as pain medications and injections (such as epidural spinal injections and facet blocks). They also prescribe braces, artificial limbs, and other assistive devices and order diverse therapies such as hot/cold therapy, electrotherapies, massage, biofeedback, traction, and therapeutic exercise.
At Signature Medical Group, our physiatrists work closely with our orthopedic team and provide comprehensive care under a comfortable setting. If you're experiencing some discomfort, make an appointment to see one of our specialists.
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- bone
- joint
- muscle
- pain
- physiatrist
- physiatry
- therapy