Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation is a medical specialty that helps people regain body functions they lost due to medical conditions or injury. This term is often used to describe the whole medical team, not just the doctors.
Rehabilitation can help many body functions, including bowel and bladder problems, chewing and swallowing, problems thinking or reasoning, movement or mobility, speech, and language.
Information
Many injuries or medical conditions can affect your ability to function, including:
- Brain disorders, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, or cerebral palsy
Stroke
A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack. " If blood flow is cut off for longer th...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that involve the brain. This affects nervous system functions, such as movement, learning, hearing, seei...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Long-term (chronic) pain, including back and neck pain
Back
Low back pain refers to pain that you feel in your lower back. You may also have back stiffness, decreased movement of the lower back, and difficult...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleNeck pain
Neck pain is discomfort in any of the structures in the neck. These include the muscles, nerves, bones (vertebrae), joints, and the discs between th...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Major bone or joint surgery, severe burns, or limb amputation
Burns
Burns commonly occur by direct or indirect contact with heat, electric current, radiation, or chemical agents. Burns can lead to cell death, which c...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleAmputation
Leg or foot amputation is the removal of a leg, foot or toes from the body. These body parts are called extremities. Amputations are done either by...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Severe arthritis becoming worse over time
Arthritis
Arthritis is inflammation or degeneration of one or more joints. A joint is the area where 2 bones meet. There are more than 100 different types of...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Severe weakness after recovering from a serious illness (such as infection, heart failure or respiratory failure)
Heart failure
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleRespiratory failure
Respiratory acidosis is a condition that occurs when your lungs can’t remove all of the carbon dioxide produced by your body. This causes the blood ...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Spinal cord injury or brain injury
Spinal cord injury
Spinal cord trauma is damage to the spinal cord. It may result from direct injury to the cord itself or indirectly from disease of the nearby bones,...
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Children may need rehabilitation services for:
- Down syndrome or other genetic disorders
Down syndrome
Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleGenetic
Genetics is the study of heredity, the process of a parent passing certain genes to their children. A person's appearance -- height, hair color, ski...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Intellectual disability
Intellectual disability
Intellectual disability is a condition diagnosed before age 18 that includes below-average intellectual function and a lack of skills necessary for d...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Muscular dystrophy or other neuromuscular disorders
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of inherited disorders that cause muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue, which get worse over time.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Sensory deprivation disorder, autism spectrum disorder or developmental disorders
Autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder. It often appears in the first 2 to 3 years of life. ASD affects the brain's ability to ...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Speech disorders and language problems
Speech disorders
A speech disorder is a condition in which a person has problems creating or forming the speech sounds needed to communicate with others. This can ma...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Spinal disorders or deformities due to cerebral palsy
Physical medicine and rehabilitation services also include sports medicine and injury prevention.
WHERE REHABILITATION IS DONE
People can have rehabilitation in many settings. It will often begin while they are still in the hospital, recovering from an illness or injury. Sometimes it begins before someone has planned surgery.
After the person leaves the hospital, treatment may continue at a special inpatient rehabilitation center. A person may be transferred to this type of center if they have significant orthopedic problems, burns, a spinal cord injury or severe brain injury from stroke or trauma.
Rehabilitation often also takes place in a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center outside of a hospital.
Skilled nursing facility
When you no longer need the amount or type of care provided in a hospital, the hospital will begin the process to discharge you. Most people hope to ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMany people who are recovering eventually go home. Therapy may then be continued at your health care provider's office or in another setting, if needed. You may visit the office of your physical medicine physician and other health professionals. Sometimes, a therapist will make home visits. Family members or other caregivers must also be available to help.
WHAT REHABILITATION DOES
The goal of rehabilitation therapy is to teach people how to take care of themselves as much as possible. The focus is often on daily tasks such as eating, bathing, using the bathroom and moving from a wheelchair to a bed.
Sometimes, the goal is more challenging, such as restoring full function to one or more parts of the body.
Rehabilitation experts use many tests to evaluate a person's problems and monitor their recovery.
A full rehabilitation program and treatment plan may be needed to help with medical, physical, social, emotional, and work-related problems, including:
- Therapy for specific medical problems
- Advice about setting up their home to maximize their function and safety
- Help with wheelchairs, splints and other medical equipment
- Help with financial and social issues
Family and caregivers may also need help adjusting to their loved one's condition and knowing where to find resources in the community.
THE REHABILITATION TEAM
Physical medicine and rehabilitation uses a team approach. Team members are doctors, other health professionals, you, and your family or caregivers.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors receive 4 or more extra years of training in this type of care after they have finished medical school. They are also called physiatrists.
Other types of doctors that may be members of a rehabilitation team include neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, psychiatrists and primary care doctors.
Other health professionals include occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, vocational counselors, nurses, psychologists, and dietitians (nutritionists).
Reviewed By
C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
David AM. Cardiac rehabilitation. In: Frontera WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD Jr, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 123.
Rondinelli RD, Ranavaya MI. Practical aspects of impairment rating and disability determination. In: Cifu DX, ed. Braddom's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 5.