The physiatrist is a professional figure able to evaluate the problems of the musculoskeletal system. He works as a professional in the field of  motor rehabilitation and postural re-education. Let’s find out better.

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What the physiatrist does

The physiatrist works on the side of functional motor rehabilitation and on the level of postural rehabilitation .

Its task is to evaluate the problems relating to the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system that lead to partial and recoverable or degenerative loss of autonomy (rachialgia, scoliosis, after-effects of trauma, cerebral strokes, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, etc.) 

The physiatrist has an interdisciplinary approach that covers skills in the orthopedic, neurological, rheumatological, ENT, respiratory, urological, cardiological, dermatological, angiological fields. These skills are instrumental to instrumental diagnosis and prognosis. 

The diagnosis of the physiatrist passes through the anamnesis, the general physical examination, the specialist physical examination (through clinical, semiotic, functional anatomy skills), any laboratory and instrumental tests.

Become a physiatrist  

The physiatrist – a figure recognized worldwide by the WHO – is in effect a graduate in Medicine and Surgery (6 years) with a specialization in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation . Once the specialization has been achieved, the physiatrist will work in the hospital and / or outpatient clinic , but will also be able to follow the patient at home . 

You can learn more  about the benefits of rehabilitation techniques

The physiatrist in Italy and abroad 

The word “physiatrist” was coined by Dr. Frank H. Krusen in 1938. In 1946 the term was adopted by the American Medical Association . There had been the Second World War and many wounded soldiers needed global assistance, which was not just motor rehabilitation. Abroad there are at least two important appointments for sector experts that take place between the end of May and the beginning of June and are the European congress of the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine  and the International Congress of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine .