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Physiatry (fiz-ee-at'-ree) is a specialized field of medicine. The word combines the Greek root words for "physical" and "healing". Simply put, a physiatrist (fiz-ee-at'-rist) promotes physical healing in addition to other aspects of medicine.1 Unlike other specialites, medical rehabilitation is not limited to one organ system. Physiatrists must give attention to the whole person while focusing on the medical and functional aspects of human performance. Physiatrists work to restore disabled persons to the fullest possible level of physical, mental, social and economic independence. Physiatrists evaluate individuals in relation to the disease and how it affects and is affected by the person's family, social environment status, and special interests. Goals The second goal of a physiatrist is to prevent additional functional decline of individuals who are recovering from acute medical illness or injury. For example, a physiatrist often works to prevent deconditioning due to a head-injury person's inability or decreased ability to exercise normally.
Physiatrists also work to prevent illnesses for which people with functional limitations are at higher risk. For example, spinal cord injured patients face a higher risk of bladder or respiratory infections. Physiatrists often become the primary care physicians in these cases. Physiatrists like to be included early in any case requiring surgical or medical intervention to assess the patient and determine how the physical impairments, disabilities, and handicaps will influence the overall outcome of a given intervention. The Practice of Physiatry A physiatrist often provides primary care for all patients of a stroke unit, a spinal cord injury unit, or a head injury unit within a rehabilitation hospital or a specialized facility such as a skilled nursing facility or a nursing home. Others specialize in sports medicine or pediatric rehabilitation. They treat patients directly or lead an interdisciplinary team. Many physiatrists conduct regular outpatient clinics. This practice allows physiatrists to follow the rehabilitation progress of patients who have been discharged from the medical facility in which they provide care. Outpatient practice also allows physiatrists to treat and diagnose patients who are referred from other specialists for evaluations related to disability management and workers' compensation or for tests like electromyography. Physiatrists often treat people with acute pain, chronic pain, amputations, musculoskeletal disorders, arthritis, back pain, sore shoulders, or carpal tunnel syndrome. They also treat babies with birth defects, victims of serious car accidents and elderly people with broken hips. Upon request, physiatrists also provide consultation services for other specialists to determine the rehabilitation needs of an individual. Consultation services commonly are provided in academic medical institutions and in the context of private institutions. A Growing Specialty Physiatry gained official recognition as a medical specialty in 1947. Today, nearly 5,000 physiatrists work in private practice and in academic departments within college's of medicine at major universities around the United States. Over half of all active physiatrists were trained in the last decade. 1 Training for physiatrists includes a one year internship followed by a three year residency. The United States now has more than 70 such training programs, including programs at the University of Kentucky. 1Paraphrased from The History of Physiatry, a pamphlet published by The Association of Academic Physiatrists
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