If you wanted to have a practice that focuses mainly on outpatient joint injections (steroids/PRP etc), would these two fields differ that much? Is this a realistic job that people have? For example, Dr.JeremyGirmann on instagram. I am sort of regretting my decision to pursue FM sports instead of pm&r at this point.
Sports Med FM vs PM&R - joint injections outpatient
- Thread starter camng22
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Well - what do YOU want to do?
I chose PM&R Sports pathway over FM pathway because I truly only enjoyed the MSK, neuro, neuromuscular, and cerebral palsy pathologies going into residency. I also felt like PM&R prepared people much more thoroughly for understanding MSK, biomechanics, gait, spine care and thus appropriateness for identifying pain generators and thus providing appropriate intervention as a MSK focused physician.
PM&R sports physicians can be/are weaker in the medical management of sports teams (vaccinations, diabetes management, cardiac screening, etc.) than FM or IM counterparts - but I don't feel terribly substandard compared to them and if I don't know something I can always research it or send it to a cardiologist, endocrine, etc. if I feel it is truly dangerous or prohibitive to competition.
I chose PM&R Sports pathway over FM pathway because I truly only enjoyed the MSK, neuro, neuromuscular, and cerebral palsy pathologies going into residency. I also felt like PM&R prepared people much more thoroughly for understanding MSK, biomechanics, gait, spine care and thus appropriateness for identifying pain generators and thus providing appropriate intervention as a MSK focused physician.
PM&R sports physicians can be/are weaker in the medical management of sports teams (vaccinations, diabetes management, cardiac screening, etc.) than FM or IM counterparts - but I don't feel terribly substandard compared to them and if I don't know something I can always research it or send it to a cardiologist, endocrine, etc. if I feel it is truly dangerous or prohibitive to competition.
Mainly work with athletes/weekend warriors on injuries or sports/gym related issues. Ideally with joint injections. I guess I am not entirely sure what kind of procedures pm&r docs can do vs fm sports med docs since there are new technology/new procedures that are not out there for med students to hear about.
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If all you want to be is a "needle jockey" (which some may consider a negative term) - PM&R will likely give you more exposure to spine interventions and thus opportunity to pursue fellowship options that incorporate these into a future practice. Some PM&R residencies have some exposure to regenerative medicine based on attending interest (more so than FM residencies). Fellowships are variable as well. The biggest thing with regenerative medicine procedures is trying to follow what evidence there is for it, appropriate patient selection, and understanding how to prepare the material (PRP, fat, bone marrow, etc.) - injecting a joint/bursa/whatever under ultrasound/fluoro is all the same thing regardless of what is in the syringe.
Exposure to regenerative medicine is just highly variable based on health system, attending, patient population, etc.
Of course there are always professional courses you can pay a lot of money for to learn how to do whatever you want to do.
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