Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Conditions Treated

• •Stroke Rehabilitation — Comprehensive rehabilitation after stroke to recover movement, speech, cognition, and independence. The physiatrist leads the rehab team.
• •Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation — Recovery and adaptation after spinal cord damage from trauma, helping patients achieve maximum functional independence.
• •Chronic Pain Management — Non-surgical management of persistent pain using physical therapy, injections, medications, and psychological approaches.
• •Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation — Recovery programme after head injury addressing cognitive, physical, and behavioural changes.
• •Amputation Rehabilitation — Post-amputation recovery including prosthetic training, phantom pain management, and functional adaptation.

Health Tips

• •Start rehabilitation early after stroke or injury
• •Set realistic goals with your rehab team
• •Involve family in rehabilitation
• •Be consistent with home exercises

How to Prepare for Your Visit

• •Bring all medical records — hospital discharge summary, imaging, and surgical notes
• •List all current medications, including pain medications and doses
• •Note your functional abilities — what you can and cannot do independently
• •Identify your rehabilitation goals — what activities matter most to you for return to normalcy
• •Participate actively in all therapy sessions — effort determines outcomes
• •Communicate pain honestly — rehabilitation should be challenging but not agonising
• •Involve family in rehabilitation — they need to learn transfer techniques and home exercises
• •Set weekly goals with the rehabilitation team and track progress
• •Continue home exercise programmes prescribed by the rehabilitation team
• •Use assistive devices as recommended — don't abandon them prematurely
• •Attend follow-up appointments to adjust the rehabilitation programme
• •Join support groups — connecting with others who have similar conditions improves motivation and mental health

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

• •What level of recovery can I expect?
• •How long will rehabilitation take?
• •What will the rehabilitation team include?
• •Can I manage my pain without opioids?
• •What assistive devices or home modifications do I need?
• •Are there vocational rehabilitation options?

When to See a Specialist

A Physiatrist (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation specialist) helps restore function after injury, surgery, stroke, or disability without surgery.

• •Stroke rehabilitation
• •Spinal cord injury rehabilitation
• •Chronic pain management without surgery
• •Post-amputation rehabilitation and prosthetics
• •Sports injury rehabilitation
• •Cerebral palsy — functional improvement

Physiatrists focus on improving quality of life and function, not just treating the disease.