Physical Agents: A Comprehensive Manual for Physical Therapists.

Physical agent instructors from physical therapy schools in the New York City area decided that there was a need for a text for their students about physical agents. These instructors met their goal by producing a text of clear and pertinent reading materials.

The initial chapters of the book deal with basic topics that are not included, to a great degree, in books on physical agents. Physiology of skin and wound healing and the peripheral circulatory systems are covered in sufficient depth so the student does not have to consult other physiology texts to understand the subject. The physiology of edema formation is presented clearly in another chapter. The theories regarding pain control are outlined in a very comprehensive chapter.

Information regarding thermal physics and biophysics are then covered in a concise manner that is appropriate for the student. The thermal modalities are addressed in the following chapters and include good illustrations. More information regarding research in the areas of the physical agents would have been helpful in these chapters.

The chapter on ultrasound is excellent, and the coverage of instrumentation and biophysics of ultrasound is clear. The various methods of this treatment, including immersion and phonophoresis, are delineated. The cryotherapy and hydro-therapy chapters are also excellent. There are noteworthy pictures of aquatic exercises in the latter chapter.

Electrotherapy is also included in this book. A very clear and comprehensive chapter on electrical resistance, capacitance, and impedance is included. The illustrations in this chapter are excellent and very helpful to the reader. Chapters on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, iontophoresis, and clinical electroneuromyography are included. The latter chapter is detailed and gives the nerve conduction velocity parameters for various nerves.

Information on biofeedback, ultraviolet irradiation, laser treatment, spinal traction, and intermittent pneumatic compression is also presented.

Key words and review questions are given at the end of each chapter. it would have been helpful to the student if the answers for these questions could have been listed in the back of the book. More information on high-voltage galvanic stimulation should have been included. Also, there was no coverage of interferential currents or microcurrent.

Overall, the book does serve the purpose of providing one text with all the general information for the student regarding the physical agents. The text is clear, concise, and includes a vast array of topics. As noted previously, more information regarding some of the electrotherapeutic devices would have been helpful. The book is written in a consistent manner and has helpful illustrations and tables.

This book could serve as a text for a physical agents course, but additional information regarding research studies should be addressed with students. The text could also be used by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants as a reference in clinical practice.