Neck and Arm Pain, 3d ed.

This book, in its third edition, is included in the pain series by this author and will be a welcome addition to any physical therapist's library. All other books in the series are also beyond their first editions and make a nice set, providing a wealth of well-documented information.

Edition 3 is expanded and cited as being "completely rewritten and not merely modified." There is a very good, enhanced section dealing with functional anatomy and the cervical nerves in the first two chapters. Posture and its painful effects are presented, as are sites and etiology of neck and arm pain. The sites are dealt with thoroughly through the use of text and appropriate line drawings.

For example, cervical subluxation, whiplash, has been presented in detail with cause, effect, and treatment, providing a complete discussion of the variations of this problem.

Cervical disk disease plays a prominent role in physical therapy practice and is well presented. Discussions of spondylosis and spondylotic myelopathy are also well presented.

In a time when physical therapists are being brought face-to-face with the need to present a "physical therapy diagnosis" and to be able to express a complete understanding of the topics that this book presents, it is nice to find a book that gives a thorough presentation on diagnosis. The final 26 pages of text and illustrations are devoted to determining a differential diagnosis when dealing with a patient who has cervical and upperextremity problems. This is timely reading for all physical therapists.

The book is prolific with line drawings and has a full bibliography in each chapter. This would be a welcome addition to any library, even if one already has a previous edition.