Rehabilitative, technical and collaborative support is given to NIH institutes or centers and Clinical Center physicians. Selection of outcome measures pertaining to performance and function are often recommended. Function implies physical, vocational and psychosocial activities.

Current research studies utilizing physicians from Rehabilitation Medicine at the NIH Clinical Center involve patients of all ages and represent 13 NIH institutes. Examples of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ongoing research are:

• Evaluation of the impact of exercise on patients with pulmonary hypertension

• Evaluation of impairments and disabilities in patients with alkaptonuria

• Evaluation of impairment and disabilities in overweight and obese adults

• Assessment of muscle strength in patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis on a variety of treatments

• Evaluation of the biochemical milleu of active trigger points in upper trapezius muscle and a distant unaffected muscle by microdialysis sampling

• Evaluation, conservative management and monitoring of patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1

• Evaluation of impairment in patients with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes

• Evaluation and conservative management of avascular necrosis of the hip in patients with HIV disease

• Evaluation of outcomes of patients with fibromyalgia on double blind placebo controlled trial of neurotropin

• Evaluation of impairment and disability in patients with graft verse host disease

• Evaluation of impairment and disabilities in patients with McCune Albright Syndrome

• Evaluation of pamidronate in children with osteogenesis imperfecta

• Assessment of impairments and function in inflammatory myositis in patients on a variety of treatments

• Evaluation of impairments and disabilities in patients with neonatal onset multi-system inflammatory disease (NOMID) undergoing treatment