Sara Hanken, MPT

Physiatrist

Ms. Sara Hanken is a Physiatrist in Portland, ME with special training and skill in treating medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. As a Physiatrist, Sara Hanken, MPT performs diagnostic imaging, testing, assessment, and treatment of disorders and injuries related to chronic joint pain, spinal injury, athletic injury, congenital birth defect, traumatic injury, and age-related pain conditions. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Physiatry) is a medical specialty focused on diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses related to muscle, joint spine, nerve, bone, and neurological disorders. Significant diseases and conditions treated by Physiatrists include spinal cord injury, pulled and torn muscles, nerve disorders, fibromyalgia, athletic injury, chronic joint and muscle pain, arthritis, and other disorders affecting the body's muscles, joints, and nerves. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Physiatrists include CT, x-ray, and MRI imaging, nerve conduction testing, spinal injections, prolotherapy, nerve and muscle biopsy, acupuncture, fitting of prosthetics and orthotics, impairment assessment, patient and parent education, and ultrasound guided corrective procedures.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and treating patients with physical disabilities. These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury or stroke. A physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation is often called a physiatrist. The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. For diagnosis and evaluation, a physiatrist may include the techniques of electromyography to supplement the standard history, physical, x-ray and laboratory examinations. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices.