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What is Physiatry, or Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R)?
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation – sometimes called “Physiatry” – is a branch of medicine that focuses on helping people live their best lives after illness, injury, or other health changes.
Physiatrists are doctors who don’t just look at one body part or one disease – they look at the whole person. Their goal is to improve function: how you move, think, feel, and participate in daily life.
They often work with a team that might include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, pharmacists, other oncologists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers.
Physiatry can help people who are recovering from things like strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, cancer, joint or muscle problems, chronic pain, or neurological conditions. Physiatrists may prescribe exercise, rehabilitation, medications, injections, or do more tests to help understand how to best help your function.
What is Cancer PM&R?
Cancer PM&R is a subspecialty of PM&R that focuses on helping people with cancer – during treatment, after treatment, and sometimes at the end of life – to stay as active, independent, and comfortable as possible.
A cancer physiatrist understands both the medical side of cancer and the physical, emotional, and everyday challenges it can cause to your function. They work with you to manage symptoms such as weakness, pain, fatigue, numbness, or stiffness, and to find ways to keep you doing the activities that matter to you.
In Cancer Physiatry, this might mean any of the following:
Helping you walk more easily or use mobility aids
Reducing pain and stiffness from surgery or radiation
Improving balance, coordination, and strength
Supporting energy conservation and return to hobbies or work
Helping you adapt your home or daily routines so you can live more comfortably
In cancer physiatry, we also have honest conversations about the permanent changes cancer and its treatments can cause to your body and function. Our role is to help you adapt to this new baseline and find ways to live your best life, focusing on what matters most to you.
The focus is not just on treating disease, but on helping you live fully and to your best, in whatever way is most important to you and also within your realistic goals.
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