Physiatry at BIDMC
Beth Israel Deaconess offers the expertise of doctors who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), also known as physiatry or rehabilitation medicine.
What is a physiatrist?
Physiatrists (pronounced fizeeATrists) are rehabilitation physicians who diagnose, treat and prevent disability, injury and illness. They focus on restoring their patients’ abilities to function and on decreasing pain. As the specialty developed in the early 1900s, through the World Wars and polio outbreaks of the last century, and now through the increasing advances and complexity of modern medicine, PM&R has always emphasized physical, medical and nonsurgical procedural treatment and rehabilitation of disorders of the spine, brain, nerves, muscles and bones.
How does physiatry fit into spine care at BIDMC?
The Spine Center at Beth Israel Deaconess, an interdisciplinary comprehensive care center, includes two physiatrists: John C. Keel, MD, who is the medical director of the Center, and Stefan C. Muzin, MD.
Painful disorders of the spine are among the most common reasons that patients seek medical care. Most back and neck pain will respond to nonsurgical treatment. For someone with spine problems seeking specialist care, evaluation by a physiatrist is an ideal first step, since the core expertise of a physiatrist embodies the assessment and management of pain and dysfunction, including imaging evaluation, exercise and modality prescription, and minimally invasive pain management procedures such as injections.
Because back pain is such an important medical problem with tremendous impact on our society, physicians and surgeons from many medical specialties are dedicated to diagnosing and treating disorders of the spine. Physiatrists such as Dr. Keel and Dr. Muzin collaborate with spine specialists from other disciplines to produce the best plan for the patient.
What type of spine care do BIDMC physiatrists provide?
Dr. Keel and Dr. Muzin offer a full range of conservative (nonsurgical or minimally invasive) care at the Spine Center at BIDMC. Patients can expect a thorough neuromuscular and musculoskeletal evaluation, as well as an explanation of their condition.
Treatment plans may include exercise or therapy prescriptions, pool exercise, physical methods such as cryotherapy or electric stimulation, orthoses and assistive devices, or medical management. Procedures available for diagnosing or treating spine pain include image-guided injections -- for example, epidural injections, zygapophyseal joint (facet) injections and denervation, soft tissue and joint injections, and nerve blocks. Many patients with back or neck pain benefit from these physiatric treatments. Dr. Keel and Dr. Muzin will take the greatest care to weigh the benefits and risks of any treatment.
Resources
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)
Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP)
International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS)
American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA)
American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM)
