Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Pocketpedia, 4th Edition

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is the medical specialty that focuses on the diagnoses, evaluation, and management of persons of all ages with congenital or acquired physical and/or cognitive impairments, disabilities, and functional limitations. The specialty began in the late 1920s and was recognized by the American Medical Association in 1945. PM&R physicians, also known as physiatrists, have expertise and knowledge about the biomechanics of the human body and an extensive understanding and training on how mobility can impact quality of life. Physiatrists treat persons with a broad range of medical diagnoses related to illness, injury, or physical impairment using nonsurgical techniques. As experts in physical examination, physiatrist can design a unique treatment plan tailored to an individual’s physical impairments, goals, and needs. Treatment goals can include restoration of function, but may also be supportive, accommodative, or through adaptive means. The fourth edition of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Pocketpedia outlines the common conditions that PM&R physicians come across in their current clinical practice. It is a collaboration of over 60 content expert chapter authors, and each submission was streamlined to create a concise yet thoughtful chapter for each topic. It includes several new chapters, including COVID-19 rehabilitation, transplant rehabilitation, caring for patients with disability, orthotics/adaptive equipment, and pelvic health, which demonstrates the breadth of expertise within the field of PM&R. To make the book easier to navigate, the authors have significantly expanded the coverage of musculoskeletal rehabilitation and divided it into topic-specific sections. The book serves as a convenient and succinct resource for ongoing education and clinical practice in this field.