Bodily Injuries and Pain: Physiatrists Offer Treatment Without Surgery
Before Undergoing Surgery, Find Out If There Is Another Option
If you have been led to believe that surgery is the only option for your injury, having a consult with a physiatrist will help you discover that other options may be available to heal many bodily injuries and pain.
Physiatrists are medical doctors who have continued with four additional years of extensive training in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). These highly qualified doctors specialize in understanding the disabilities that can occur from musculoskeletal issues and injuries, traumatic injuries to the brain or to the spinal cord, and those injuries received during sports activities.
Physiatrists Are Trained to Diagnose and Treat Conditions with Disabilities
A great example of how a physiatrist can help is a meniscus tear. Having this type of injury, you most likely are disabled from your normal, day-to-day routine due to pain. Surgery is not always a necessity to heal a meniscus tear.
A PM&R physician has been highly trained in musculoskeletal injuries, and it is their belief that allowing the body the ability to heal itself should be addressed as the first option. Just like undergoing surgery, there is healing time. By giving your body time to heal without surgery, a PM&R will guide you in what you can do to avoid putting stress on the knees — and may also involve a physical therapist to help build your neuromuscular control.
Physiatrists look beyond surgery to consider the best way to heal an injury, allowing the body to heal more naturally without possible complications from surgery. They consider the patient’s lifestyle along with important questions regarding what surgery entails. Can the injury be healed without intrusive surgery? Can the use of anesthesia be avoided? Can this patient avoid the high cost and pain of going through surgery?
When Injuries Are Complicated, There Can Still Be Non-Surgical Treatments
Physiatrists collaborate with many medical professionals to plan the best treatment for a patient’s injury when they are more complicated. Depending on the severity of the injury, they may team up with other doctors to help them and the patient have a better understanding of the patient’s situation.
An orthopedist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and the primary care may all be consulted to be sure a patient’s “big picture” is thoroughly understood. PM&R physicians also address a patient’s needs that may include the role of a caregiver when complicated injuries impede a patient from daily activities that are usually as simple as bathing, dressing, and eating.
The Advantages of Seeing a Physiatrist Before Scheduling a Surgical Consult
Once a patient’s diagnosis is clearly defined, a PM&R plans and outlines the personalized treatment that can sometimes be totally patient driven or with the help of a rehabilitation physician’s medical team. Again, other medical professionals may play a key role in the treatment of healing a patient’s injury. The main focus of PM&R physicians is to keep patients as active as possible. As most people know, it is important for a patient not to remain sedentary for very long.
Of course, there are times when surgical intervention must be part of a patient’s treatment. A PM&R physician is still an integral part of a patient’s recuperation with their expertise and knowledge of physical and mental rehabilitation. They take a patient’s entire body into account when they are involved in a patient’s care.
When A Physiatrist Could Make A Big Difference
You can learn more about what physiatrists can offer patients before undergoing potentially avoidable surgical procedures. Physiatrists can help you manage your pain and injuries with effective non-surgical options, saving you money and avoiding the risks of surgical intervention. PM&R physicians want to help patients have a better quality by giving patients options. Use Sesame to find physiatrists near you at a fair price with no surprise bills!
