State of the Art Reviews: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of the Alcoholic, vol. 2, no. 2.

Soft Tissue Pain and Disability, ed 2 By Cailliet R. Philadelphia, PA 19103, F A Davis Co, 1988, paper, 382 pp, illus, $19.95 The first edition of this text was published 12 years ago and has been reprinted five times. Discoveries and revisions of theories of pain have led to a better understanding of the role of soft tissue as a nociceptive site, necessitating revisions of the original text. In this second edition the author has taken into account the vast changes that have occurred in this burgeoning field during the past 10 years. He chose to expand many of the chapters and made major revisions in the chapters on the lower back; the cervical spine; the knee; and the leg, including the ankle. He has provided a more in-depth overview of the concept of pain. This edition is concisely written, well documented with references and bibliographies, and favorably illustrated for easy comprehension. It presents topics of immediate interest and importance. The author understands the practitioner's daily needs and has included the most relevant and fundamental areas of clinical concern. The book includes chapters entitled "Soft Tissue Concept," "Pain from Soft Tissue: Its Mechanism and Evaluation," "Low Back Pain," "Neck and Upper Arm Pain," "Neurovascular Compression Syndrome," "Shoulder Pain," "Elbow Pain," "Wrist and Hand Pain," "Hipjoint Pain," "Knee Pain," and "Foot and Ankle Pain." I believe that it would be to the advantage of all patients for physicians to read this book to deepen their understanding of a topic that basically is foreign to them and to deepen their respect for the role of physical therapy in the treatment of soft tissue pain and disability. The newer edition may not have enough depth of information for some clinicians. The text contains adequate amounts of useful information on a wide spectrum of therapy practice and should be considered for the professional library. Laurence Martin Seitz