Role Of Physiatrist

Role of Physiatrist

Being the only medical specialty dealing with disability, PM&R specialists undertake disability evaluation and certification. The Indian Citizens having permanent disability are evaluated on the basis of Guidelines issued by the Government so that UDID can be issued to the Person with Disability (दिव्यांगजन). Those having temporary disability are issued medical and fitness certificates as any registered medical practitioner.

PM&R specialists are unique medical specialists who can accurately pinpoint problems and enhance performance for the patient as a whole. The core role of PM&R specialist has following two components

Medical Diagnosis of Disease and Disability
Prescription of the treatment in detail to mitigate disability by action on the patient and his environment.

The treatment in PM&R has a lifecycle approach tailored to the age, gender, social status of the patient and offers comprehensive healthcare for lifetime as below –

Pointing out problem areas in priority sequence
Planning the treatment by considering patient’s choice and priorities
Offering medicine, surgery, interventions, therapy, assistive devices for the patient.
Offering modification of the sociocultural and physical environment to facilitate best possible independent living for the patient.
Supervision of the rehabilitation team

Consider seeing a PM&R physician as a first-approach if:

You have chronic pain from arthritis, a repetitive stress injury, or back problems
You have had an accident or you have an injury or chronic condition that has left you with pain or limited function
You’re contemplating or recovering from surgery
You have an illness or treatment for an illness that has diminished your energy or ability to move easily
You’re recovering from the effects of a stroke or other neurological problems related to nerve damage
Excess weight makes it difficult to exercise or has caused health problems
Life changes such as childbirth or menopause have created new challenges to your physical function

Getting started

A PM&R physician will thoroughly assess your condition, needs, and expectations and rule out any serious medical illnesses to develop a treatment plan. A clear understanding of your condition and limitations will help you and your PM&R physician to develop a treatment plan suited to your unique needs.

Tailoring your plan

After assessment of your condition, PMR physician makes your treatment plan by formulating short term and long-term goals. Every disorder and every patient is managed differently as per their goals. Hence the treatment plan is always tailor made. For example; a patient may be suffering from chronic neck pain. The PM&R physician might prescribe medication, stretching, and physical modalities for short-term pain relief, as well as strengthening exercises and workplace & lifestyle modifications to prevent future pain. Another example is post stroke patient with weakness of right upper and lower limb. PMR physician, after careful evaluation sets short term and long term rehab goals and treats accordingly like management of tightness of muscles by medication, injection; management of swallowing difficulty; speech difficulty; bladder and bowel incontinence; training for activities of daily life, gait training, prescription of orthosis for prevention of contracture, prescription of exercise program; vocational counselling; sexual rehabilitation etc. By directing your treatment plan to paramedical team members and collaborating with other health care professionals, a PM&R physician is able to specially design a treatment program tailored to you.