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> Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is a specialty within the medical field. It involves a five year residency program after the completion of medical school (MD Degree). A specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is also known as a Physiatrist. Physiatrists treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. 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.
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 and needs nerve conduction studies. Physiatrists’ patients include people with arthritis, tendonitis, and any kind of back pain, and work or sports related injuries.
Physiatrists also coordinate the long-term medical and rehabilitation process for patients with spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke or other neurological disorders, brain injuries, amputations and multiple sclerosis.
Physiatrists practice in rehabilitation centers, hospitals and in private offices. They often have a broad practices but some concentrate on one area such as pediatrics, sports medicine, spinal cord medicine, brain injury or various other fields.
In Edmonton, most Physiatrists practice at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital where the Specialty program is based.
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