Orthopedic Institute - Sioux Falls South Dakota - A lifetime of activity: how PM&R teaches patients to help themselves

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Exercise Library

Learn about special exercises and stretches that can relieve pain and help rehab muscles and joints.

Anatomy Library

Click here to view medical illustrations that help you understand pain symptoms.

Medical Animations

Explore interactive videos that explain orthopedic problems and treatment procedures.

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Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery techniques enable patients to go home the same day after spine surgery. Learn more.

Home Remedies

Learn about how home remedies can relieve pain symptoms, and symptom charts that can show you what may be causing pain.

What hurts?

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A lifetime of activity: How PM&R teaches patients to help themselves

A physiatrist, or physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, specializes in the nonsurgical management of pain. While many doctors provide drugs to mask symptoms of pain, these drugs leave a patient debilitated and dependent upon them for pain relief. A physiatrist, on the other hand, provides techniques and treatments that enable pain sufferers to return to activity without surgery.

What is a physiatrist?

With so many subspecialties in medicine, it is no wonder that many people do not know exactly what a physiatrist does, even if they have heard the term. It has become a nationwide trend for highly respected centers to use physiatrists to treat cases of pain.

A physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) doctor may use a variety of tests to diagnose your pain. Physiatrists may also use spinal injections for pain relief and for diagnostic purposes.

So what does that mean for me?

Essentially, a physiatrist has unique skills to offer a pain sufferer. Instead of masking pain with drugs, a physiatrist identifies the cause of the pain. They often help patients relieve pain symptoms without surgery.

NO PHYSICIAN REFERRAL IS NEEDED UNLESS REQUIRED BY YOUR INSURANCE

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