Comprehensive is right! This outstanding text provides an impressive
collection of the knowledge relevant to the evaluation and management of low
back pain and neck pain. Well written and offering clear and concise
descriptions, the book is an excellent reference for anyone involved in the
care of patients with back and neck pain.
The first section of the book provides an overview of the normal anatomy
and biomechanics of the spine, the epidemiology of neck and low back pain, and
the sources of spinal pain. These chapters review the basic sciences with
excellent depth, highlight specific pertinent areas, and are well referenced
for those who wish to delve deeper into specific areas. The chapter on sources
of pain gives particular insight into the basic sciences of pain production,
the clinical importance of the "fifth vital sign," and the
distribution of radicular and referred pain.
In Section II, the authors provide an excellent discussion of the clinical
evaluation of the symptoms of neck and low back pain. The chapter on history
is extensive and includes a discussion of outcomes questionnaires and their
relevant use. The succeeding chapters are of equally good quality and offer a
review of physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiographic and
miscellaneous evaluations. Section II concludes with a chapter on a
standardized approach to the diagnosis and treatment of spinal pain and
includes guidance on the evaluation of patients who have a specific diagnosis.
The chapter offers information with regard to the specific symptoms associated
with spinal pain and provides guidance on the sequence of evaluation of many
common, specific pain patterns. Also included in this chapter are very
practical treatment and evaluation algorithms for neck pain and back pain.
Section III provides a thorough review of the specific diseases associated
with spinal pain and provides pertinent information on virtually all potential
diagnostic entities directly or indirectly related to spinal pain syndromes.
With excellent use of tables to amplify the text, each diagnosis-based chapter
reviews the specific epidemiology, evaluation, treatment options, and
prognosis related to the specific diseases. Each diagnostic entity also has a
very helpful "capsule summary" at the beginning of the chapter,
highlighting in brief the specific symptoms, tests, imaging findings, and
treatment overview for the specific disorder.
The final section of the book provides an excellent overview of treatment
options, including an excellent discussion of medical therapy and the
rationale behind each therapeutic intervention. The book also includes a
similar discussion of alternative medicine options and results, which is
particularly helpful information when dealing with our current Internetsavvy
patient population. Each of the chapters on medical management concludes with
a summary of the author's recommendations. Surgical therapy is discussed as an
overview based on specific diagnoses and clear indications for surgical
management, thus satisfying the need for a discussion of management options
while avoiding an extensive discussion of comprehensive surgical details and
techniques.
The book includes two comprehensive appendices on the differential
diagnosis of low back pain (Appendix A) and neck pain (Appendix B), in which
evaluation and management features are presented in a brief tabular form that
is amplified in the text.
Low Back and Neck Pain represents a valuable resource for all
healthcare professionals who are involved in the care of patients with low
back pain or neck pain. It offers a great depth of knowledge with regard to
the diagnosis and management of spinal disorders, and it also offers tabular
information and capsular summaries that allow for a quick review between
patients. It is particularly relevant for orthopaedic surgeons involved in
spine care because it serves as both a review and an update of the diagnosis
and management of back and neck pain.