How are Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy different?

Both professions are closely related, but there are distinct differences. Here is a guide to help you distinguish between the two, and give you more information about available treatment options.

When you are in chronic pain after suffering an accident or injury that may have caused long-term disability and require extensive treatment, there are a variety of specialists you can choose from to help you recover. While some people may be able to recuperate on their own, it’s often required by physicians to get professional help, either from a physiatrist or physical therapist.

What is Physical Medicine?

The field of Physiatry, also called Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), is a branch of medicine that specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients who have been disabled due to the cause of an injury, disorder, disease or illness, accident and diagnosing them primarily by the use of non-surgical methods of Physical Therapy as well as prescribing the required medication in order to treat the patient. It is important to note that physiatrists do not perform surgery. They are usually the first step in the journey to rehabilitation.

The Physiatrist being a trained physician with a medical degree understands all the vital process of the human body like a doctor. They also understand how the musculoskeletal system works with the nervous system to help provide mobility and strength. This knowledge helps him to better evaluate the physical condition of the patient based on the patient's abilities of strength, dexterity and mobility and henceforth, pass on his plans to the physical therapist to carry out the required treatment.

Since the spine is the central focus of the body’s musculoskeletal system, many physiatrists tend to focus on treating back pain. For those who specialise in treating spinal problems, their focus may be more on rehabilitation or injections (pain management), depending on their training and personal preference.

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapists are the experts in understanding the way the human body moves. They can be said to be health experts who know their way around body muscles and can provide the patients with specialised exercise routines which would help them to compensate or rehabilitate the loss of body mobility in patients. They help the patients to restore their full functionality however much possible which have come due to any chronic disease, accident or old age. 

The physical therapists execute and offer a form of therapy routine to the patients after consultation with the physiatrists so that they can relieve the pain without the use of surgery and reduce the need for prescription drugs in treatment.

How are these specialties connected?

Although the training that is provided to physiatrists and physical therapists are similar in some ways as they both are part of the rehabilitation training program. However, physiatrists go through much more difficult training technically and theoretically about the human body than physical therapists. Physiatrists are also licensed to prescribe medications and run important tests to identify the medical conditions in the patient which the physical therapists are not permitted to perform. But, physical therapists perform the vital function of training the patient every day while chalking out regimens with the physiatrists. The role of a physiatrist and a physical therapist both is equally important in the recovery of a patient. This can include coaching, much like a personal trainer, encouragement, and even emotional support.