Diagnosis and Injection Techniques in Orthopedic Medicine Review

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(More customer reviews)"Oh, not another back!" is a frequent lament by physicians, whether a generalist or specialist. In medical school, physicians learn very little about conditions that might be classified as "mechanicaldiseases," except for fractures, dislocations, and other conditionstreatable by immobilization or surgery. Most diagnosis is perfunctory andimprecise (such as "low back strain" or "sprainedwrist"), and the treatment armamentarium is limited to non-steroidalanti-inflammatories, exercises that are unhelpful if not actually harmful,"muscle relaxants," or other anodyne intended to get the patientout of the office, preferably with a referral slip.
This book isindispensable to physicians who would actually like to help the 15% oftheir patients with an ailment in the neglected province of orthopedicmedicine. It is based on meticulous work in the dissecting room, prolongedstudy with pioneers in the field, and extensive clinical experience andresearch.
The book begins with diagnostic and treatment principles and adiscussion of morbid anatomy. I found it to be a remedial education,filling in great gaps in my basic knowledge and challenging widely heldbeliefs on the basis of compelling logic. Specific soft-tissue injuries arediscussed by region: the neck, the back, the thoracic spine, the shoulder,the elbow, the wrist, the hand, the hip, the knee, the ankle, and the foot.There are lucid descriptions of basic physical examination techniques, mostof which are omitted or poorly described in standard textbooks. (I reliedupon it extensively for the second edition of Sapira's Art and Science ofBedside Diagnosis.) Excellent radiographs and line drawings complement theclear and well-organized explanations. There is a wealth of referencematerial.
Most physicians will need to read this book with an anatomytext close at hand, at least if they were trained after the greatcurricular upheavals. A good neurology book is also helpful.
Dorman callsorthopedic medicine the "Cinderella of medical specialties."Though the foundation for the specialty was laid in 1929 by James Cyriax atthe St. Thomas Hospital in London, scores of clinical entities that respondto orthopedic medical procedures remain unrecognized and untreated. Neglectof these vexing ailments by "mainstream" physicians probablyaccounts for the great popularity of chiropractic as well as many laypractitioners who provide some form of manual medicine.
This book openeda whole new world of medicine to me. The discussions of referred pain andtenderness, the elucidation of the role of the sacrum and the sacro-iliacjoint, the technique of examination by resisted movements (especially inthe shoulder), and the explanation of the mechanism for the variedpresentations of whiplash are more than worth the price of the book. Eventhose physicians who do not aspire to master the more difficult treatmentsfor the neck or the back can learn how to benefit patients with commonproblems involving the shoulder and other peripheral joints and ligaments.At the very least, the book can help to save patients from the harm ofmisguided treatment or the misdiagnosis of malingering in those withgenuine injury.
General practitioners, general internists, physiatrists,and orthopedists -- or anyone who treats "musculoskeletal"conditions -- should own this book. Patients who aren't being helped bytoday's standard treatment might want to take a look at it also. They mighthelp to lead physicians to what I believe will (or should) become standardtreatment in the future.

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Product Description:
Textbook for physicians