Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a field of medicine that focuses on optimizing physical and mental function as you age, experience pain, or suffer from illness or injury. We help guide people through rehabilitation and beyond by individualizing plans that may include exercise, lifestyle modifications, durable medical equipment, medications, or injections. We work with surgeons and therapists to make sure that you reach your goals. Click here to find a PM&R physician near you! We are also known as physiatrists.

Brain Injury Medicine is a subspecialty of PM&R, Neurology, and Psychiatry. Brain injury specialists work with people who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, acquired brain injury (anoxia, brain tumor, or other insult to the brain). We have special expertise in the treatment and management of the medical, physical, cognitive, and behavioral disorders that result from these injuries. The Brain Injury Association of America is a great place to start to learn more about brain injury.

This field of medicine focuses on the foundations to long-term health and wellness through 6 pillars: healthful eating, physical activity, stress management, relationships, sleep, and tobacco cessation. Lifestyle medicine providers have received additional education and certification in these areas. For more information about the field, please check out the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

PM&R doctors are often confused with physical therapists. We are not therapists, but we work along side them to help someone reach their goals. Physical therapists focus on function such as moving, lifting, bending, twisting as well as addressing areas of pain and discomfort. Occupational therapists focus on activities of daily living, cognition, and addressing pain or dysfunction of the upper body including the hands and arms. Speech therapists focus on swallowing, communication, and cognition. It’s important to find the right therapist for your needs. This may involve researching online and discussing with your doctor about the right fit. There are insurance limitations to therapy visit coverage, check with your insurance to better understand what will be covered and what copayment may be required.

All therapists will give you a home exercise program (HEP) to continue the physical or cognitive exercises at home. It is very important that you complete the HEP as prescribed to receive maximum benefit from your time in therapy. Ideally, you are doing exercises every day. My colleague, Dr. Ricky Singh, has excellent handouts on his website for certain painful conditions. Please discuss with your doctor or therapist before starting one of these programs at home.

Durable medical equipment (DME) are equipment, products, or supplies that you need to better care for your medical condition. A prescription will be provided by your doctor, which you can take to any medical supply company. It is best to check with your insurance about which companies they contract with in your area. It is advisable to check with a few companies about out of pocket costs to you before selecting a vendor for your supplies.

Trouble smelling after COVID or after a brain injury? Unfortunately, there is a lot of watchful waiting to see if the sense returns. In the meantime, smell training can be helpful. Kits are available online, or you can make your own! Buy 4 different essential oils (the original study was done with rose, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon) but really any 4 different smells will do. Smell each one for 10-20 seconds twice per day, concentrating on telling your brain what you are smelling. After 12 weeks you can switch to a different set of scents- perhaps things around your home that you are strongly connected to (like spices, candles, or produce).

Suffering from convergence insufficiency after brain injury? This can feel like double vision, eye strain, occasional blurred vision, or headache when trying to read or use your phone. First, make sure to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist. There is no strong evidence for the use of vision therapy in treating vision disorders, so it is not covered by insurance. This exercise, called a pencil-push up, is safe to do at home if you have convergence insufficiency and can be very effective.

There are several different reasons to receive counseling. Counselors are people who can help with mood, coping, adjustment to injury, pacing, and sleep disturbances. Finding a counselor can be challenging. First, check with your insurance to see if there are covered counselors who are accepting new patients. You may need to call around to several offices. If you cannot find a counselor in your area, consider apps such as Talkspace or BetterHelp. If you are looking for help coping with persistent pain, Curable is an app to consider.