Dr. Andrea Jno Charles

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.

The specialty areas of medicine concerned with matters of, and relations with, substantive law and legal institutions; such as the conduct of medical examinations at crime scenes, performance of autopsies, giving of expert medical testimony in judicial proceedings, medical treatment of inmates of penal institutions, the practice of trauma medicine in law enforcement settings, and other clinical practice and medical science applications in the fields of law, law enforcement, and corrections.

Source: NUCC, CMS