Physiatry for Treating Hip, Knee, and Back Pain

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a rapidly expanding field. Physicians who practice PM&R are known as physiatrists and provide care primarily for patients who have disabilities or physical impairments affecting the musculoskeletal system, brain, and spinal cord. Physiatrists may work in an inpatient or outpatient setting, with outpatient physiatrists being an invaluable resource in treating patients experiencing pain. It is worthwhile to refer patients experiencing hip, knee, or back pain to a PM&R specialist because of their skill in making specific and accurate diagnoses, as well as providing a wide range of modalities to treat pain and augment function such as management of pain medications, osteopathic manipulative therapy, trigger point injections, intra-articular steroid injections, orthobiologic therapy, and interventional spinal procedures. Emphasis is on the use of the least invasive modality before employing more invasive treatments. The need for physiatrists to help individuals maximize function and enhance quality of life is increasing with the aging population, expanding workforce of older adults, and a growing population of people with a disability, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.