Exercise Testing and Exercise Prescription for Special Cases: Theoretical Basis and Clinical Application, 2d ed.

The purpose of this text is to serve as a reference for the health professional who deals with cardiovascular and pulmonary evaluation, testing, and exercise treatment of special-need clients, as well as the apparently healthy. The text has an exemplary list of contributors, including many international authorities in the areas of exercise physiology and medicine. None of the authors, however, are physical therapists. This new edition has been upgraded to include contributions related to osteoporosis. asthma, low back pain, and renal disease. The book's 21 chapters represent a comprehensive look at the depth and the breadth of this aspect of exercise science and sports medicine.

As a whole, the text is well written and is clearly aimed at the graduate audience. There are very few photographs in this text, and the illustrations are succinct, taking a direct approach to the subject matter. The 21 chapters are organized in two sections. Section 1 includes the first 6 chapters. I was particularly impressed with this entire section, which reveals a very thorough summary of general physiological principles in exercise testing and prescription related to differences in gender, age, and environmental conditions. Although the majority of this information can be found in most exercise physiology texts, it serves as an excellent review for the reader and sets the stage for the subsequent section. Chapter 4 deals with the major differences between exercise testing and prescription for children and adults and is especially enlightening. The author, Oded Bar-Or, clearly presents and summarizes the information related to this germane topic.

Section 12 contains 15 chapters focusing on the gamut of special clients and the dilemma of proper assessment, testing, and prescription of exercise for the strata of client types. The majority of the chapters in this section address specific patho-physiology related to the disease, pharmacological management of the client, issues of exercise testing and, ultimately, the specifics of exercise prescription. Although all the chapters are well organized and cover the content well, I believe the chapter on asthma, by Morton and Fitch, is excellent. The content of the chapter is very current and reflects a comprehensive treatment of the topic. Without exception, all the contributors provide and extensive reference list and cite research to support the content of their chapters. The authors go to great lengths to include clinical applications and provide set exercise treatment protocols.

I would suggest that any physical therapist or exercise physiologist working in the cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation areas should have this text close at hand as an excellent reference source. In addition, the text would also be appropriate for use by therapists dealing with the client who had multisystem pathology. The text combines the physiology and the clinical application nicely and serves to give the reader a strong basis for the implementation of sound practices in the rehabilitation setting.