Few know physiatrist could help with pain

CHICAGO, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Only 1 percent of U.S. adults know the term "physiatrist," a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, a U.S. survey found.

However, 67 percent of those surveyed by L.C. Williams & Associates Research Group for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation said they could benefit from medical care provided by a physiatrist -- once the specialty was defined for them.

Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, specialize in non-surgical management of a full range of conditions including low back, shoulder and neck pain, tendonitis, arthritis, osteoporosis, sports injuries, or more complex conditions such as spinal cord injuries, stroke and cardiac rehabilitation and traumatic brain injuries, using advanced diagnostic techniques and treatment options.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say they have suffered from one or more injuries and/or conditions that could be appropriate for treatment by a rehabilitation physician, including 31 percent having an injury or condition requiring extended medical attention, 31 percent for a sports injury, 24 percent with on-the-job injury or 29 percent with chronic pain.

Depending on the disability, rehabilitation physicians use a variety of treatments including biofeedback, pharmacological treatment, injection techniques, physical therapy and exercise.

The survey results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Chicago.