Media Contact: Joanne Constantine
(312) 464-9700

November 2006

Radio Feature Release: Medicine's Best-Kept Secret

152 WORDS, 60 SECONDS

THEY REPRESENT ONE OF MEDICINE’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS, YET HAVE THE SKILLS TO HELP MILLIONS. THE MEDICAL SPECIALTY MOST PEOPLE DON’T RECOGNIZE IS PRACTICED BY REHABILIATION PHYSICIANS – NERVE, MUSCLE AND BONE EXPERTS WHO TREAT INJURIES AND ILLNESSES THAT AFFECT HOW YOU MOVE. THEIR MISSION? DECREASE PAIN AND RESTORE FUNCTION WITHOUT SURGERY. IN MEDICAL CIRCLES, THESE DOCTORS ALSO ARE CALLED PHYSIATRISTS. IT’S A CONFUSING TERM, WHICH MAY EXPLAIN WHY A STUDY REVEALED JUST ONE PERCENT OF AMERICANS KNOW WHO THEY ARE. YET, ONCE PEOPLE LEARN WHAT AILMENTS AND PAIN THESE PHYSICIANS TREAT, 67 PERCENT SAID THEY COULD BENEFIT FROM MEDICAL CARE PROVIDED BY THIS TYPE OF DOCTOR, ACCORDING TO AN AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PHYSICIAL MEDICINE AND REHABILIATION STUDY. THE ACADEMY NOTES REHAB PHYSICIANS ARE TRAINED TO PROVIDE CARE THROUGHOUT A PERSON’S LIFETIME FOR DISABLING CONDITIONS THAT RANGE FROM BACK PAIN AND ARTHRITIS TO SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND STROKES. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON REHAB PHYSICIANS, VISIT ON THE WEB W-W-W-DOT-A-A-P-M-R-DOT-ORG.