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Physiatrist sees importance of ‘teamwork’ in his specialtyErik Ekstrom, MD, sees his specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation as a team effort – between himself, physical therapists, occupational therapists, surgeons, chiropractors, physicians and patients. Ekstrom’s focus as a physiatrist is on injuries and conditions of the spine. “The simplest way I can think of to describe physiatry is that I’m a function doctor,” Ekstrom explained. “Using mostly rehabilitation, I want to get people back to the quality of life they can obtain. There is a lot of education involved with the patient, too, to determine what expectations they have for their rehabilitation.” Ekstrom, a physician with the Institute for Low Back and Neck Care (ILBNC) in Minneapolis, MN., started seeing patients at the New Ulm Medical Center clinic in early May. Currently he is seeing patients there once a month but expects that demand to grow. Ekstrom began his career as a dietitian with a master’s degree in exercise physiology. “I’ve always had this interest in helping people figure out what they can do for themselves to improve their own quality of life,” he said. “When I decided to go to medical school, physiatry was just a perfect fit for me.” Ekstrom completed his medical degree at the University of Minnesota Medical School and then went on to an internship at Hennepin County Medical Center and residency at the University of Minnesota. He also received additional training in sports medicine at Mayo Clinic and spasticity training at the University of Wisconsin. He is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is excited to be able to provide physiatrist services to the New Ulm area. “It’s great to be able to save people a trip up to the Cities or elsewhere, especially when they are experiencing pain,” Ekstrom said. “It is very rewarding what I do. I especially enjoy the interventional area – it helps give people a jump start toward their rehabilitation and getting them back to the things they enjoy doing.” Prevention is also a very big part of his practice, Ekstrom said. “People are more critical of their treatment than they used to be – they want to know what is going on with their bodies and how they can take care of themselves better,” he said. “For example, if I have a young person in my office who is diagnosed with a degenerative disease, I can offer them advice on how to prevent further damage and how to live a better quality of life for a longer period of time.” When he’s not busy in the office, Ekstrom and his wife, an emergency medicine physician, are kept on their toes at home with three young children: two daughters ages 4 and 2, and a 5-month-old son. Ekstrom looks forward to re-establishing old friendships in the New Ulm area. He is a native of Albert Lea and was a high school classmate there of NUMC family practice physician Herm Louters, MD. A former college roommate also lives in New Ulm and Ekstrom spent a summer during his college years working at the Del Monte Corporation in Sleepy Eye. |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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