For this edition of Making the Rounds, we interviewed Dr. Michael Parrott, a physician with UK HealthCare Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

We spoke with Dr. Parrott about the type of injuries he treats and how collaboration between different clinical teams at UK HealthCare benefits patients.

Can you tell us some basics about your field?

Physical medicine rehab is a very diverse field, including some inpatient and outpatient care. I primarily work in the outpatient musculoskeletal side, which involves primarily neck pain, back pain, peripheral joint pain, shoulder, hips, knees, ankles. That's both acute injuries and chronic pain; arthritis, conditions like that. 

We are frontline in things like therapies, medications, people that don't want surgeries but want other options, including different injections or procedures that may be able to either delay or put off surgery. 

How do you work with other clinics to treat patients?

I think our relationship with physical medicine rehab and the neurosurgery team, the orthopedic surgery team, our physical therapy, occupational therapy being in our same building, where we have that really good relationship with the therapists and communication between providers is very useful for patients. 

There's physical medicine rehab doctors in the community that may not work as closely with the neurosurgeons or the therapists or the orthopedic surgeons that refer. And I think that some information gets lost. I think it's very useful that we are able to put all the pieces together for the patient. 

Watch our entire interview with Dr. Parrott below.