Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, is the branch of medicine focused on restoring function and improving quality of life for patients with physical impairments, whether from an injury, surgery, chronic pain, or a condition such as stroke or spinal cord injury. Rather than performing surgery, this branch focuses on non-surgical treatment and long-term functional recovery.

Care in this branch often involves a coordinated plan that may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management, and the use of assistive devices such as braces or mobility aids. Patients are commonly referred here after a stroke, a major surgery like joint replacement, a spinal cord or brain injury, or for chronic musculoskeletal pain that has not improved with other treatment.

Treatment plans are typically built around a patient’s specific functional goals, such as walking independently again or returning to a particular activity, and are adjusted over time based on progress. Because recovery often takes place gradually, this branch tends to involve a longer-term relationship between patient and care team compared to a single procedure or short course of treatment.