Dr. Hillel M. Finestone

Specialties: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation/Physiatry

About The Speaker

Dr. Hillel Finestone is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, or physiatrist. He graduated from McGill Medical School and received Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialty training at the Universities of Ottawa and Michigan. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa, Director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at the Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital, Bruyere Continuing Care and Electromyographer at the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre.

Dr. Finestone treats patients experiencing musculoskeletal and neurologic pain, Fibromyalgia Syndrome and chronic pain. He also treats stroke in and out-patients in the multi-disciplinary stroke rehabilitation program of the Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Finestone’s research interests include: 1) Multidisciplinary pain care for patients in Family Medicine, 2) Opioids and Pain – the problem that medicine and society has become enmeshed in, with regards to opioids and addictions, 3) Mind-body issues- particularly how mental health problems like stress and anxiety may lead to multiple painful conditions and how educating patients to become their own “pain detectives” is so important 4) Virtual Reality stroke rehabilitation technology to enhance exercise and balance-(patients play video games), 5) Optimal ways of educating patients and physicians about what
stroke rehabilitation is and 6) Driving and Stroke.

He has published many articles and book chapters. Dr. Finestone’s book, The Pain Detective, Every Ache Tells a Story (published by Praeger ABC-Clio,
2009, Santa Barbara, CA) describes the roles that psychological and social factors may play in healing and recovery from a painful injury.