Physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), called physiatrists, help children gain function lost through injury, illness, or disabling conditions, such as
- Cerebral palsy
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Muscular dystrophy
- Chronic pain
- Other disabling conditions
Function can be improved through
- Prescribed therapy, provided by physical, occupational, and speech therapists, available for inpatients or outpatients
- Injections, such as Botox, which softens contracted muscles, available for inpatients or outpatients
- Braces
- Adaptive equipment
- Pharmacological therapy
Physiatrists coordinate care with other specialists (neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedists), therapists (physical, occupational, speech), psychologists and social workers, and nurses to develop a family-centered rehabilitation plan to fit the unique needs of each child.
Service provided under the direction of Primary Children's Medical Center. Physicians are faculty of the University of Utah School of Medicine.