A specialty in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury, and the rehabilitation from impairments and disabilities, using physical agents such as light, heat, cold, water, electricity, therapeutic exercise, and mechanical apparatus, and sometimes pharmaceutical agents. Also called Physiatry.

Impairments and disabilities are treated to restore physical, psychological, social and vocational function and alleviation of pain.

Physical medicine refers to the use of physical measures in the treatment of disease. These include: therapeutic exercise, massage, and osteopathic joint mobilization and immobilization techniques. It includes Applied Kinesiology and Cranio-Sacral Therapy; a system of body work that believes in allowing the body to heal itself by treating structural problems like, muscle spasm, curvature of the spine and bad posture.

A branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disease and disability by physical means.

also referred to as Rehabilitation Medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating and treating patients with impairments and/or disabilities which involve musculoskeletal, neurologic, cardiovascular or other body systems. The primary focus of Physical Medicine is on maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function and on alleviation of pain. For diagnosis and evaluation, this may include the techniques of electromyography and electrodiagnosis as supplements to the standard history, physical, x-ray and laboratory examinations. In addition to traditional treatment modes the specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation may use therapeutic exercise, prosthetics, orthotics, and mechanical and electrical devices.