Picture of an elderly woman, walking, during a physical therapy session

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), also known as physiatry, is a medical specialty that involves the process of restoring lost abilities for a person who has been disabled as a result of disease, disorder, or injury. These doctors are nerve, muscle, and bone specialists, and the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and central nervous systems are most often involved.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, PM&R covers everything from cardiac rehabilitation to pain management. PM&R can be used to retrain a person on the basics of daily living, or may be used to help an older person recover from a fall.

Regardless of what caused the disability, rehabilitation specialists work to restore maximum function and quality of life for the patient -- at home, in the workplace, and in the community.

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