Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (known as physiatry), is a medical subspecialty that intends to increase and reinstate functional ability and optimization of the quality of life to those with physical disabilities or impairments. A physician who has completed training in this field called a physiatrist.

Pediatric physiatrists are responsible for the medical management and rehabilitation care of children with spinal cord injuries, pain syndromes, muscle injuries, bone injuries, ligaments, non-healing wounds, neuromuscular disorders, brain injuries, and musculoskeletal conditions. In treating these patients, physiatrists lead a multidisciplinary team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, neurologists and neurosurgeons, psychologists, orthopedic surgeons, nutritionists, and social workers.

Some of the common conditions pediatric physiatrists treat are:
Cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, limb deficiencies, gait abnormalities, musculoskeletal conditions, and brachial plexus palsy.