What is the scope of the rehabilitation physician’s practice?
PM&R is often called the quality of life profession because its aim is to enhance patient performance. The job of a rehabilitation physician is to treat any disability resulting from disease or injury involving any organ system. The focus is not on one part of the body, but instead on the development of a comprehensive program for putting the pieces of a person’s life back together – medically, socially, emotionally, and vocationally – after injury or disease. The problems that rehabilitation physicians manage span the entire spectrum, from the most complicated multiple trauma to injury prevention for athletes. Some rehabilitation physicians have broad-based practices that encompass many different types of patients. Others pursue special interests and focus on specific groups or problems. For example, sports medicine has grown as a special interest. Rehabilitation physicians who focus on sports medicine treat sports-related injuries, develop programs to help athletes avoid injury, and
