Just what is PM&R and how can Orthopedics Plus help you?
| August 19th, 2010
PM&R stands for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. It’s an accredited, medical specialty with specific board certification and a full residency program. It developed as a specialty in the early 20th century, largely due to polio outbreaks and wartime injuries during World War II.
As a PM&R physician at ThedaCare Orthopedics Plus, I specialize in problems involving bones, muscles, joints and nerves, with a special focus on restoring function lost due to those types of injury or illness. In my schooling and experience, I’ve received comprehensive training regarding the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. I’ve also had additional training in spinal cord injuries, stroke, brain injury, spine conditions (such as back or neck problems), orthopedic injuries (such as shoulder, hip or knee problems) and many others.
So what does all this mean for you?
It means that if you have an injury or condition that falls within the PM&R scope, my expertise, as well as the skill of the other PM&R doctors and staff at Orthopedics Plus can see you through your diagnosis, treatment and recovery in a timely manner. We are also able to work with the orthopedic surgeon on our team to ensure you have an effective and comprehensive treatment plan.
Physical, occupational and speech therapies at Orthopedics Plus work together to create and implement a plan for patients, with a very individualized approach. Each patient is unique, and our focus is in treating the entire person, not just the joint or disease present. The result is a team approach for treatment and a more meaningful recovery, not just for reduction of pain or swelling, but to ensure that person is able to return to the activities they enjoy.
The best advice I could give someone who believes they’re in need of a PM&R doctor is to seek medical care sooner rather than later. We have a much better ability to help someone with a condition if we evaluate and treat it early, before it becomes a much more severe problem. The goal is always to treat current problem, as well as prevent future problems. I always feel the most successful when a patient gets better and doesn’t have to return to the doctor!
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