Dr. Ara Chitchyan is a Physiatrist. 

We are being asked on a daily basis, multiple times a day, what does Dr. Chitchyan do? Here is our attempt at answering this question. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as specialty has become independent specialty only in the middle of last century. As a relative new specialty, it has struggled with finding recognition as well as its own identity. The founding fathers of the specialty identified need for rehabilitation in 1940’s, when many injured solders were returning from war, as well as right in the middle of Polio pandemic. Both of these worldwide events created large populations of disabled people who were otherwise healthy. Using physical modalities and medical interventions, specialists at the time were able to improve lives of those affected by disabling condition. Not only that, but they were able to re-join communities and live otherwise productive lives. Specialty had some big-name celebrity endorsements, speaking in today’s language. President Roosevelt, who himself was dealing with disabling effects of poliomyelitis, was one of them. Quickly his home away from home – Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia – became home for one of the first Rehabilitation Hospitals, known today as Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospital. As a specialty, Physiatry grew rapidly right around major events – wars, pandemics – as Physiatrists found themselves having to adjust to wide range of pathologies and disabilities. Therefore, Physiatrists had to treat not only primary disabling condition but also other medical issues that are often either pre-existing, worsened by the event causing disability. In addition, since Physiatrists had a privilege of treating these people for long periods of time, they were often first to diagnose new chronic issues or witness how disability affects chronic illness. One of the major roles that Physiatrists have been doing since the beginning is coordination of care. Physiatrists are trained to work as team leaders, in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environments. So, what do Physiatrists treat? In few words – anything that causes person limitations to their activity. It could be as disabling as major stroke, or less appreciable for others, as chronic pain. Short of performing surgery, Physiatrists are the ones who diagnose and treat various spine degenerative conditions – Degenerative Disk Disease, Spinal Stenosis, Radiculopathy. Physiatrists are the only specialists who are trained during their residency training in Electrodiagnostic Medicine – performing and interpreting EMGs used to diagnose problems with nerves and muscles – carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome on one end of the spectrum, and ALS and spinal dystrophies on the other. Similarly, there is a subgroup of Physiatrists calling themselves Non-Operative Orthopedists. These highly specialized Physiatrists are diagnosing and treating Orthopedic problems – if surgery is not indicated. Overlapping with Internal Medicine and its subspecialties, Physiatrists take care of medically ill patients on inpatient basis, at Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals. If reading this much you find yourself still confused about what do Physiatrists do, you are not alone! Some seasoned Physiatrists compared and aligned themselves with Primary Care Physicians for people with disabilities. Some took a different approach and became more interventional and procedure oriented. However, a well-rounded Physiatrist should be able to recognize, diagnose and treat pretty much any condition, or at the least should be able to point in the right direction.​