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Physical Rehabilitation Assessment and Treatment by Susan B O’Sullivan and Thomas J Schmitz. FA Davis Company, Phil- adelphia. British Distributor: Waverly Europe Lfd, Broadway House, 2-6 Fulham Broadway, London SW6 1AA (3rd edn) 1994 (ISBN 0 8036 6699 3). Illus. 748 pages. €50.

The third edition of this book is designed as a comprehensive text on the rehabilitation management of adult patients. The target audience consists not only of practising phys- iotherapists experienced in the rehabilitation setting, but also other rehabilitation professionals. The book is designed as a reference text, to be used not only in clinical prac- tice, but also in the academic setting.

Over 700 pages in length and presented in a closely spaced double column format, the book is rather daunting to the casual reader, relieved partially by an adequate but not over-abundant provision of figures and tables. This format

is doubtless enforced by the im- pressive breadth of the remit of the book, ranging from psychosocial considerations, through general approaches to assessment and reha- bilitation, to assessment and treatment strategies of specific conditions commonly encountered in clinical practice. Twenty-four authors contribute t o the book, many of whom are acknowledged experts in their fields, and will be familiar to physiotherapists.

The book is organised into 32 chapters, which can be loosely cate- gorised into four sections. The first section focuses on clinical decision- making, considering not only the decision-making process based on clinical findings, but also on the influence of psychosocial factors and patient and therapist values in determining an holistic approach to patient care.

The second section is concerned with assessment procedures, which are generally organised with res- pect to systems (musculoskeletal,

Illustrations from ‘Physical Rehabilitation Assessment and Treatment’ showing gait patterns or deviation

sensory, motor, co-ordination) and function (general functional anal- ysis and gait analysis). Each chapter follows a relatively con- sistent format, covering the aims and purposes of assessment, identi- fication of normal control mech- anisms and common deficits, and specific assessment techniques and procedures. A chapter on chronic pain management appears later in the book, but one on theo- rieskoncepts of pain might usefully be located in this section.

Centrally positioned in the book are two chapters on rehabilitation strategies - the first directed a t improving motor control and motor learning, and secondly an excellent chapter on pre-ambulation and gait training, an area surprisingly poorly addressed in many rehabilitation texts.

The next major section is devoted to the assessment and management of specific pathological entities commonly encountered in clinical practice, ranging from pulmonary, cardiovascular and neurological conditions, through to degenerative joint disease and burns. Again, chapters follow a consistent format, covering pathology, aetiology, epidemiology, course of the disease, signs and symptoms, specific assess- ment procedures and overall management of the patient.

The book concludes with chapters on orthotics, wheelchairs, and biofeedback. Additions to the previous edition include chapters on the rehabilitation management of pulmonary disorders, chronic pain management, and communication disorders.

Due to the wide range of topics addressed in this book, each chapter is necessarily a concentrated and condensed treatment of each topic. However, this is by no means super- ficial, and each chapter is well supported by comprehensive references, and an extensive ‘further reading list’. A glossary of terms and self-assessment study questions appended to each chapter perhaps direct the book towards the academic market, but I would thoroughly recommend this book as a comprehensive reference text for both clinical and academic departments.

Kate Kerr PhD BA MCSP

Physiotherapy, July 1996, vol 82, no 7