A physiatrist, or physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, specializes in the nonsurgical management of spine and musculoskeletal pain, including back, neck, hip, knee, shoulder, arm, ankle, foot and elbow. While many providers may prescribe drugs to mask symptoms of pain, these drugs can leave a patient debilitated and dependent upon them for pain relief. A physiatrist, in contrast, provides techniques and treatments that allow musculoskeletal and spine pain sufferers to return to activity without surgery. Swift Urgent Clinic is supported by the board-certified Physical Medicine Physicians at SpineNevada.

What is a physiatrist?

With so many subspecialties in medicine, it is no wonder that many people do not know exactly what a physiatrist does, even if they have heard the term. It has become a nationwide trend for ortho, sports and spine specialty centers to use physiatrists to treat cases of musculoskeletal and orthopedic pain.

A physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) doctor may use a variety of tests to diagnose your back, neck, hip, knee, shoulder, arm, ankle, foot and elbow pain. Physiatrists may also use interventional joint and spine injection procedures for pain relief and for diagnostic purposes.

Physical Medicine and Rehab specialists have a distinct skill set to treat spine and musculoskeletal injuries without surgery. The goal is to pin point the cause of the pain and identify methods to treat or cure the symptoms non - surgically.