Physiatrists are trained to diagnose, treat, and direct a rehabilitation plan that provides the best possible outcomes for their patients based on their individual need. Physiatry uses physical agents and therapeutic exercise in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that produce pain, impairment and disability.
The physiatrists at OCI specialize in treating the symptoms of musculoskeletal and spine pain, and understand the causes of this pain. The goal of treatment is always to restore normal function and improve quality of life for patients from a physical, emotional, psychosocial and vocational perspective.
The following is a list of some of the conditions related to back pain commonly treated by physiatrists:
- Non-operative management of lumbar or cervical disc herniations, radiculopathy, and sciatica
- Whiplash syndrome
- Low back, hip, neck, and shoulder pain
- Disc, facet and nerve root pain
- Failed back syndrome
- Musculoskeletal and myofascial pain
- Occupational injury
- Postoperative pain
- Sports injuries
- Osteoarthritis
The treatment plan offered for pain and injury may include:
- Medications
- Bracing
- Physical and/or occupational therapy
- Injections of muscles, bursae, joints
- Interventional procedures, including epidural and facet injections
- Electromyography
- Advanced spinal diagnostics and therapeutics, such as radiofrequency ablation, discography, vertebroplasty, and spinal cord stimulation trials and implants