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      Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

      Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) is a branch of Modern Medicine that was developed during the time of the World War II, caring for the severely wounded veterans who had survived but had to live with serious consequences like amputations, brain injury and spinal cord injury. It was realized during this time that the people who are living with disabilities face multiple issues that are not dealt with in routine clinical or medical practice.

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      Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

      Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) is a branch of Modern Medicine that was developed during the time of the World War II, caring for the severely wounded veterans who had survived but had to live with serious consequences like amputations, brain injury and spinal cord injury. It was realized during this time that the people who are living with disabilities face multiple issues that are not dealt with in routine clinical or medical practice.

      The specialty quickly gained acceptance across the globe and is well-established and highly recommended the world over. In India, PMR services have been existing in all major medical colleges since the 1960s and Kerala is no exception. The specialty has not gained the acceptance it should receive due to multiple reasons hence the National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NIPMR) has committed to increasing the awareness and acceptance of PMR services.

      PMR is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities

      Meet our team of doctors providing expert support for you

      Dr. Prathap T Raghavan

      FRCPC
      Consultant Physiatrist

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      Services Offered by the Physiatrist (PMR Specialist)

      NIPMR provides very comprehensive rehabilitation in the areas of physical disability as well as speech and hearing disorders through team assessment and evaluation.

      As the COVID-19 Pandemic affected the way we work, all over the world, significant changes had to be made at NIPMR to continue offering medical and rehabilitation services to children and adults alike. Physiatrist, Dr. Sindhu Vijayakumar (MBBS, MD, DNB) who heads the Dept. of PMR took the lead role in proposing and implementing the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) according to COVID Protocol and precautions. A major shift was that of online consultations through tele-consultation mode using both telephone and video calls.

      The year 2020-2021 also served as the year where major leaps in rehabilitation services advancement were planned, proposed, approved and implemented at NIPMR that elevated the institution to the status of Centre of Excellence in Disability Management. The major projects are Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Unit (SCIRU), Centre for Mobility and Assistive Technology (CMAT), Instrumented Gait and Motion Analysis Lab and Virtual Reality Based Motor Rehabilitation Unit.

      Effectively using the time of lockdown, the medical team was actively involved in organizing webinar series for both. patients and caregivers as well as rehabilitation professionals. The topics of such awareness series varied and covered most aspects related to management of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

      Strictly adhering to the instructions from Govt. of Kerala from time to time, the following services were offered:

      Outpatient services

      Comprehensive assessment is done for all new patients attending NIPMR. After thorough history taking and clinical evaluation, relevant investigations are ordered. A multidisciplinary management plan is then prescribed and patients referred to relevant departments for assessment and therapy.

      Inpatient services

      On February 6, 2021, the inpatient services were officially inaugurated at NIPMR with a dedicated Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Unit (SCIRU) and the first patient was admitted in March 2021.

      Tele-consultation

      A major shift in practice occurred through introduction of formal teleconsultations.

      Physiatrist Or PMR Specialist: A doctor who specialized in restoring optimal function to people with injuries to the muscles, bones, ligaments, or nervous system

      Physiatry is unique among medical fields in that its area of expertise addresses the function of the whole patient, as compared with a focus on an organ system or systems. Suffering an acute injury or living with chronic illness can affect the way people move and communicate, and their role in the home and workplace. Physiatry is about patient-centered care and maximizing independence and mobility with the goal of returning patients to their role in society (From AAPMR).

      Major diagnoses/categories of patients seen presently by the Physiatrist

      Rehabilitation Definition according to the World Health Organization:

      1969: Combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational and vocational measures for training and retraining individual to the Highest possible level of functional ability.

      പുനരധിവാസം: ആരോഗ്യ, സാമൂഹിക, വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ, തൊഴിൽ മേഖലകളുടെ ഏകീകൃതവും സമന്വിതവുമായ പ്രവർത്തനത്തിലൂടെ ഒരു വ്യക്തിയുടെ, ശാരീരികവും മാനസികവുമായ കഴിവുകളെ പ്രചോദിപ്പിക്കുവാനുള്ള പരിശീലനവും, ആർജ്ജിച്ച കഴിവുകളെ നിലനിർത്തി പോരുന്നതിനുള്ള പുനഃപരിശീലനവും ആണ് പുനരധിവാസം

      1993: Rehabilitation is the process of helping a person to reach the fullest physical, psychological, social, vocational, avocational, and educational potential consistent with his or her physiologic or anatomic impairment, environmental limitations, and desires and life plans.

      2011: “A set of measures that assist individuals, who experience or are likely to experience disability, to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with their environments". It involves identification of a person’s problems and needs, relating the problems to relevant factors of the person and the environment, defining rehabilitation goals, planning and implementing the measures, and assessing the effects.

      Aims of Rehabilitation measures

      • prevention of loss of function
      • slowing rate of loss of function
      • improvement or restoration of function
      • compensation for lost function
      • Maintenance of current function.

      Most effective approach for Rehabilitation is Trans-disciplinary, with good collaboration between Institution or Facility Based Services and Community Based Services

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