Duke Health recently announced a new Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Division, headed by physiatrist Jeffery Johns, MD. Johns, a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, returns to Duke as a board-certified physician in both PM&R and spinal cord injury medicine and chair of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“PM&R is a function-based specialty,” says Johns. “We focus on helping individuals with any disabling condition, from temporary to chronic, congenital or acquired, and their associated comorbidities. We’re happy to discuss patients and take a holistic look at cases to collaborate to help patients and providers in busy clinical settings.”

Duke’s growing PM&R division already offers comprehensive care for adult patients as well as pediatric rehabilitation, optimizing care for patients across a wide variety of diseases, conditions, and injuries. In addition to the over 70 pediatric physical, occupational, and speech therapists at Duke, PM&R specialists build another level of support and care for this population.

Conditions managed by PM&R physicians include:

• Back pain
• Limb loss
• Chronic syringomyelia and myelopathy
• Spinal cord injury
• Brain injury
• Surgical sequelae
• Cancer recovery
• Stroke recovery
• Spasticity
• Muscle tone disorders
• Functional deficits, whether acquired or congenital,
• Physically limiting disabilities
• Central nervous system disorders, including
  • Spina bifida
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease

While PM&R addresses pain management, providers also help to identify and resolve functional gaps, coordinate associated care across multiple specialties, connect patients and caregivers with resources, and optimize patients’ well-being. Spinal cord injury medicine is another key subspecialty within PM&R that offers a continuum of care for these patients and the medical and functional sequelae of their complete or incomplete paralysis.

As part of both Duke Orthopaedics and Duke Neurosurgery, PM&R bridges both specialties as well as the Spine Division to provide patients with seamless, multidisciplinary care. “Working closely alongside each other, there’s a natural collaboration at Duke,” says Johns. “The professional bonds make it easy to discuss complex patient situations to provide the best care. Our goal is to help a broader swath of patients and diagnoses across Duke Health and the region.”

Johns urges providers to refer early. “PM&R shouldn’t be considered a last-ditch effort,” he says. “We all want to prevent a condition that should be temporary from becoming chronic or developing secondary complications. When in doubt, reach out.”