Dr. Jairo O Parada M.D.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and treating patients with physical disabilities. These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury or stroke. A physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation is often called a physiatrist. The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. For diagnosis and evaluation, a physiatrist may include the techniques of electromyography to supplement the standard history, physical, x-ray and laboratory examinations. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices.

Legal Medicine is a special field of medicine that focuses on various aspects of medicine and law. Historically, the practice of legal medicine made contributions to medicine as a scientific instrument to solve criminal perplexities. Since World War II, the domain of legal medicine has broadened to include not only aspects of medical science to solve legal and criminal problems but aspects of law as it applies to medicine. Legal Medicine continues to grow as medicolegal issues like medical malpractice and liability, government regulation of health care, issues of tort reform, and moral and ethical complexities presented by technological advances become increasingly prominent. Many medical schools have implemented courses which supply medicolegal instruction for medical students, and many law schools now offer medicolegal courses. Also, dual degree programs in law and medicine have been created to assist physicians to bridge the gap between medicine and the law.

A physician who provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chronic or cancer pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings. Patient care needs may also be coordinated with other specialists.

Source: NUCC, CMS