Medical treatment guidelines are written from a clinical perspective, to guide clinical care. The review criteria that will be included in this issue of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics are evidence based and are developed by practicing physicians and advisors who work in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Health care providers are expected to be familiar with the guidelines and follow the recommendations. Good medical judgment is important in deciding how to use and interpret this information.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians across the country see injured runners every day. Running injuries may impact other areas of the body and PM&R physicians are trained to treat the body as a whole, as opposed to treating just the injury, they work to identify the true source of the problem and develop a training or rehabilitation program to solve it.

Physiatrists design plans that not only treat chronic pain, but also the whole patient who lives with the pain. Causes of chronic pain can include arthritis, work injuries, failed back surgery, foot and ankle injuries, knee and hip injuries, neck, shoulder, and back injuries, nerve (neuropathic) pain, etc. This issue will focus on everything from assessment, to various treatment options (medications and injections), as well as rehab.

Children with disabilities represent a unique population within pediatrics. Pediatric rehabilitation focuses on maximizing the function and enhancing the lives of children with a wide range of conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, stroke, brain injury, genetic abnormalities and other developmental disabilities.

This issue is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary state-of-the-art review focusing on the athlete as a whole. The articles explore the impact of excessive activity, new therapies and performance enhancement interventions on the musculoskeletal, neurological and psychological aspects of the athlete.

This issue of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics will focus on stroke rehabilitation and will include articles such as: Mechanisms of stroke recovery, Insights from basic sciences, Stroke recovery and predictors of rehabilitation outcomes, Upper limb motor impairments, Post-stroke spasticity, Communication disorders and dysphagia, Neuropharmacology of Recovery, Robotic therapy, and many more.

CDC estimates reveal that 1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions occur each year. This issue will include topics such as pathophysiology, imagine, rturn to learn programs and long-term consequences of concussions.