Daniels and Worthingham's Muscle Testing: Techniques of Manual Examination, 7th ed.

Hislop HJ, Montgomery J. Philadelphia, PA 19106, WB Saunders Co, 2002, spiralbound, 488 pp, illus, ISBN: 0-7216-9299-0, $49.95.

Following the provision of thorough and balanced introductory material, the authors of this book provide detailed and illustrated instructions on how to test muscle actions of the neck, trunk, extremities, head, and face. The pelvic floor muscles are the only skeletal muscles excluded from this discussion. The instructions are supplemented by information on range of motion and on contributory muscles and their innervation. There are special chapters on testing for "infants, toddlers, and preschool children" and on the examination of "upright motor control."

This book keeps getting better and better. Like later versions of computer programs, however, its expansion and increased complexity render it more cumbersome to use. I sometimes yearn for the simplicity of the editions that were published 10 to 20 years ago. I can certainly recommend the book, particularly in comparison with the numerous alternatives on the market. It takes the only defensible approach to testing; that is, the quantification of the strength of actions rather than specific muscles. Many points are supported by evidence from peer-reviewed sources. Additional references, however, could be used to put certain recommendations and points into perspective.

The inclusion of tests of upright motor control and the repetition-based tests of ankle plantar-flexion strength are a plus. They, however, could be augmented by other functional tests, such as the sit-to-stand (chair-rise) test, for which explicit instructions and normative values have been published. Although the authors note the importance of stabilization in the introductory material, when they describe some procedures, they do not provide specifics or illustrations depicting ineffective techniques.

Many aspects make the book practical for use in physical therapist education programs. In addition to the use of clear line drawings, the spiral binding eases the display of pertinent information during laboratory practice. Added value could be provided in the future through an accompanying video or access to an interactive Web site with video streaming.

Richard W Bohannon, PT, EdD, NCS
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Conn

Dr Bohannon is Professor in the Department
of Physical Therapy where his teaching
responsibilities include the examination of
muscle performance. He has written numerous
works on the topic of muscle performance
testing.