This clinic companion was designed to provide physical therapy students
and clinicians with a quick reference source for orthopaedics. The book may
be used in a number of ways. The beginner should start with the introductory
chapters that provide descriptions of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics
in addition to guidelines that steer the clinician through the complex
progression of the clinical examination, evaluation, and intervention. The
more experienced clinician can brush up on a specific topic by reading the
relevant chapter in its entirety or focus on a specific diagnosis. Each of
the body area chapters provides quick-reference tables and illustrations to
assist the clinician and clinical pearls are provided to highlight the most
salient points. At the end of each of the relevant chapters the most common
diagnoses are described based on their common subjective and objective
findings, confirmatory tests, differential diagnosis, recommended
intervention, and prognosis.
The questions
provided at the end of each joint chapter are designed to increase the
reader's knowledge. Although most of the answers are provided within the
text, some are not, so that the reader is encouraged to complete further
reading.
Although most clinicians inherently know
that the intensity of an intervention is based on the stage of healing,
formulating ideas for appropriate intervention beyond the use of heat, cold
and the various electrotherapeutic modalities often proves difficult. At the
end of each of the body area chapters a hierarchical series of appropriate
therapeutic exercises, in the form of a clinical ladder, is presented. The
advantage of these exercise steps is that they can be used for any injury
regardless of the diagnosis as they are based on patient tolerance. However,
for the exercises to be effective, each of the exercise steps must be used
in the order they are presented.
It is hoped that
this book achieves its aim—to provide the student and clinician with
the necessary tools for the comprehensive examination, evaluation, and
intervention of the outpatient orthopedic population.
Mark Dutton, PT