A branch of medicine which deals with physical disabilities or with treatment of disorders after they have been diagnosed.
A medical specialty originally devoted to the diagnosis and management of rheumatic diseases, but later extended to the rehabilitation of patients with physical disabilities ranging from asthma and hand injuries to back trouble and poliomyelitis.
A medical specialty founded in 1931 and recognized by the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1972. Physical-medicine specialists started by treating rheumatic diseases; subsequently their work developed to include the diagnosis and rehabilitation of people with physical handicaps. The specialty has now been combined with that of rheumatology.
Treatment of disease by physical agents such as heat, cold, light, electricity, manipulation, or the use of mechanical devices.