Neurological Interventions for Physical Therapy, 2d ed.

Neurological Interventions for Physical Therapy, ed 2.

Martin S, Kessler M. St Louis, MO 63146, Saunders Elsevier, 2007, paperback, 512 pp, illus, ISBN: 978-0-7216-0427-5, $59.95.

An excellent text for the professional (entry-level) physical therapist student, this book also is suitable as a reference for practicing physical therapists interested in both pediatric and adult neurologic patient management.

This book is organized into 3 sections. The first section consists of 4 chapters that provide a comprehensive review of anatomy and the foundations of neurologic patient management. Chapter 1 describes the Nagi disablement model and its relationship to the physical therapist's role as described in APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. Furthermore, this chapter relates the role of the physical therapist to that of the physical therapist assistant in establishing a model of effective team interaction. The strength of the introductory section lies in the comprehensive attention to motor control theory, motor learning theory, and motor development from birth through the stages of aging.

The second section addresses management of the pediatric client. The introductory chapter of this section provides a general philosophy for evaluation, for establishing realistic goals, and for developing effective interventions from the clinic to home regardless of diagnosis. Written instructions on interventions for positioning, handling, and transitional movements are accompanied by photographs and diagrammed progressions. The reader is instructed on each intervention and on how to teach management to parents. The chapter concludes with a discussion about using adaptive equipment to achieve specific goals and about the functional meaning of daily activities. The remaining 3 chapters of this section are diagnosis-specific and focus on cerebral palsy, myelomeningocele, and genetic disorders. Each chapter includes a clinical neurology perspective and information regarding medical and surgical management. The therapeutic management is divided into 3 stages: infancy; preschool age/ toddler; and school age/adolescence. The principles discussed in this section's introductory chapter are applied to examples of treatment interventions for each stage.

Section 3 is devoted to the management of adult neurologic dysfunction. The first chapter in this section is a comprehensive explanation of the exercise philosophy and techniques of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). The reader is taught all exercise patterns, the techniques related to the stages of motor control, and the role of developmental sequence with both supine and prone progressions. The diagnosis-specific chapters on cerebrovascular accident (CVA), traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury (SCI), and other neurologic disorders are organized similarly to those on pediatrics. In each of these chapters, the guide to therapeutic interventions is specific. The CVA and SCI chapters are comprehensive and provide the reader with progressive intervention strategies from acute through advanced stages of recovery. Neurodevelopmental treatment and PNF intervention progressions are presented.

This book is an excellent teaching and learning tool for students and practicing clinicians alike. Each chapter is introduced with a set of learning objectives and concludes with review questions related to each objective. The diagnosis-specific chapters contain one or more comprehensive case studies that guide the reader in choosing appropriate measures, establishing problem lists from assessment and evaluation procedures, creating realistic short- and long-term goals, establishing treatment plans (examples are provided), and thinking beyond the outlined treatment through directed questions.

Judith Verbanets

J Verbanets, PT, Physical Therapy Specialist III, Neurologic Services, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers, San Diego, CA.

[DOI: 10.2522/ptj.2008.88.6.796]