NYT Health Article

[DOctorJay]

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Members do not see this ad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/health/17botox.html

ummm, physiatrists have been doing this for a long time. of course we aren't mentioned. perhaps a letter to the editor would help get the word out about our specialty?

 

[PMR2008]

It would have certainly been appropriate to mention physiatrist but than again it does not surprise me. I think a good way to tackle this issue would be for AAPM&R to send media packets to all the health section editors and reporters of all the major newspapers and health magazines and inform them of the role of physiatrists. I am not sure if this is already done but obviously it is not working.
Buy the way that test arm looks pretty cool. I am going to ask my department if they can purchase it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/health/17botox.html

ummm, physiatrists have been doing this for a long time. of course we aren't mentioned. perhaps a letter to the editor would help get the word out about our specialty?

 

[topwise]

I got to play with one of those test arms once and it was really neat.

It is definitely kind of insulting to see this posted as a "news" article when we've been doing it for years. I guess it's more proof that nobody has any idea what we do.

 

[Rehab706]

Well, someone with authority (PM&R resident or attending) should email the author:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/refer.../donald_g_jr_mcneil/index.html?inline=nyt-per

There's a link to the upper right where you can "report an error."

 

[brimcmike]

Here's my email:

Greetings Mr. McNeil,

Thank you for the well-written article on the use of botulinum toxin in the treatment of post-stroke spasticity. I believe it is very important for the general public, and especially for affected patients and their families, to know about the wide variety of treatment options for life-altering illnesses.

This coming July, I will be starting my residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Tufts in Boston. I know that for decades physiatrists have been using botulinum toxin for the treatment of spasticity resulting from numerous conditions. For obvious reasons, I was disappointed that PM&R was not mentioned in your article.

PM&R is a small but important specialty emphasizing the prevention, diagnosis, and non-surgical treatment of disorders – particularly related to the nervous system, muscles, and bones – that may produce temporary or permanent impairment. Unfortunately, PM&R is not as well known as it perhaps could or should be. I would like for this to improve because I believe PM&R offers so much for so many who suffer from conditions that could benefit from the training and approach of a physiatrist.

I hope that in the future you will highlight practice features of PM&R for the benefit of all. Please feel free to contact me anytime.

All the best,

Signed Me, M.D.

P.S. Here are webpages that might be useful places to start an exploration:
http://www.physiatry.org/Field_Introduction.cfm#specialty
http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/what.htm
http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/faq.htm

 

[PMR2008]

Well said 👍.

 

[drvlad2004]

I spent a day with Dr. Simpson just over a year ago. He is definitely one of the leading experts on botulinum toxin for spasticity. However, this article seems like old news to me. They should have written this article 2 years ago since Botox has become virtually a first line medication. The NY Times article really failed to inform that other specialist such as PM&R perform these injection. More importantly, the article does a disservice for patients. They are not given any idea that several physiatrists are well skilled in Botox.