Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Message from the Chair

The Division of Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College is excited to bring advancements in patient care and clinical research to Lower Manhattan Hospital.

In the clinical realm, we have expanded our faculty practice to care for patients in our new,state-of-art clinic locatedon 156 William Street in the heart of the financial district. Our faculty members use the traditional toolbox of exercise therapies, medications and physical modalities, as well as incorporating fluoroscopically guided spine injections and the bedside use of musculoskeletal ultrasound to guide therapy and inform diagnosis.

We also care for the rehabilitative needs of patients admitted to the Lower Manhattan Hospital. Whether due to neurologic injury, major joint replacement, multitrauma or debility due to chronic illness; our physicians provide individualized, comprehensive rehabilitative care focused on functional restoration and quality of life improvement.

In terms of research pursuits, our physicians are also on the frontier of medical discovery in the realms regenerative therapies and musculoskeletal medicine. Weill Cornell's Lower Manhattan Hospital physicians are playing an active role in pushing advancements in how we can better diagnose and treat causes of joint and back pain and other common painful conditions.

I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Weill Cornell Division of Rehabilitation Medicine at this exciting time, and committed to continuing and expanding its reputation for excellence in all aspects of our mission. Feel free to contact us for more information about our department.

What is a physiatrist?

Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move.

Rehabilitation physicians are medical doctors who have completed training in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Specifically, rehabilitation physicians:

• Diagnose and treat pain
• Restore maximum function lost through injury, illness or disabling conditions
• Treat the whole person, not just the problem area
• Lead a team of medical professionals
• Provide non-surgical treatments
• Explain your medical problems and treatment/prevention plan

The job of a rehabilitation physician is to treat any disability resulting from disease or injury, from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. The focus is on the development of a comprehensive program for putting the pieces of a person's life back together after injury or disease – without surgery.

Rehabilitation physicians take the time needed to accurately pinpoint the source of an ailment. They then design a treatment plan that can be carried out by the patients themselves or with the help of the rehabilitation physician's medical team. This medical team might include other physicians and health professionals, such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists. By providing an appropriate treatment plan, rehabilitation physicians help patients stay as active as possible at any age. Their broad medical expertise allows them to treat disabling conditions throughout a person's lifetime.

Information provided by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation aapmr.org