Orthopedic Manual Therapy Diagnosis

From The Critics

Reviewer: Michelle Finnegan, DPT, OCS, MTC, CMTPT, FAAOMPT(Bethesda Physiocare)
Description: This is the first English-language edition of a Dutch publication on the assessment of the spine and temporomandibular joints from an orthopedic manual therapy perspective. Although the topic is the subject of other books, this one offers a different perspective, challenging and expanding readers' knowledge.
Purpose: The purpose is to offer English-language orthopedic manual therapists (OMTs) a thorough system to diagnose and manage patients based on the long history of orthopedic manual therapy that has developed over the years in Europe.
Audience: OMTs at both the entry level and postgraduate level are the intended audience. The book is certainly appropriate for an OMT with at least a couple of years of experience or more. Because it offers a lot of similar ways to evaluate a patient, practicing clinicians will be able to pull from their current skills to follow the material. However, there are a lot of variations on techniques, additional techniques, and different terminology used to describe specific tests. This is where OMTs' years of experience will assist them as they navigate the book. They will be able to build upon what they have already learned to further enhance and fine tune their skills. This is not to say that this book is inappropriate for an entry-level therapy program, but those students may find some of it overwhelming since they are required to learn about all aspects of physical therapy, not just orthopedic manual therapy. Additionally, with the push for evidence-based medicine, some schools may argue that the ratio of older references to newer ones is a bit too large to use for teaching, especially when other books have a larger number of more recent references.
Features: The first half of the book provides the foundational framework of anatomy, biomechanics, spinal function, terminology, and theories. The second half covers the examination of the spine and temporomandibular joints (TMJs). Individual chapters on assessment of the neurovascular system, palpation, the pelvis, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, lower and midcervical spine, upper cervical spine and TMJs appear in this part. The chapters dedicated to the individual sections of the spine are all organized similarly, covering the functional features of the area, muscular influences, motor-sensory relationships, as well as regional, segmental, and instability examinations. All of the examination techniques are presented clearly with patient and therapist position, stabilization, and description of how the technique is performed. Techniques in the weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing positions further enhance the diagnosing abilities of therapists. Pictures, tables, and charts throughout the book assist readers in gaining an understanding of the material. Additionally, there is information on sclerotomes and viscerotomes not commonly found in other orthopedic books and a more detailed assessment of the neurovascular system. Despite all the advantages of this book, it has a few shortcomings. The first, noted above, is the number of older references. The book is very well referenced, but a lot of references date back over 20 years ago. In the age of evidence-based medicine, this can be a less than desirable feature for some. The second is that some diagrams in the TMJ section are labeled in the Dutch format instead of the English format. Readers not familiar with the anatomy of that area may have a harder time understanding what they are looking at.
Assessment: Overall, however, this is a great contribution to the OMT world. It provides readers with a lot of information about a unique approach to the assessment and management of the spine and TMJs, broadening their perspective.

From The Critics

Reviewer: Michelle Finnegan, DPT, OCS, MTC, CMTPT, FAAOMPT(Bethesda Physiocare)
Description: This is the first English-language edition of a Dutch publication on the assessment of the spine and temporomandibular joints from an orthopedic manual therapy perspective. Although the topic is the subject of other books, this one offers a different perspective, challenging and expanding readers' knowledge.
Purpose: The purpose is to offer English-language orthopedic manual therapists (OMTs) a thorough system to diagnose and manage patients based on the long history of orthopedic manual therapy that has developed over the years in Europe.
Audience: OMTs at both the entry level and postgraduate level are the intended audience. The book is certainly appropriate for an OMT with at least a couple of years of experience or more. Because it offers a lot of similar ways to evaluate a patient, practicing clinicians will be able to pull from their current skills to follow the material. However, there are a lot of variations on techniques, additional techniques, and different terminology used to describe specific tests. This is where OMTs' years of experience will assist them as they navigate the book. They will be able to build upon what they have already learned to further enhance and fine tune their skills. This is not to say that this book is inappropriate for an entry-level therapy program, but those students may find some of it overwhelming since they are required to learn about all aspects of physical therapy, not just orthopedic manual therapy. Additionally, with the push for evidence-based medicine, some schools may argue that the ratio of older references to newer ones is a bit too large to use for teaching, especially when other books have a larger number of more recent references.
Features: The first half of the book provides the foundational framework of anatomy, biomechanics, spinal function, terminology, and theories. The second half covers the examination of the spine and temporomandibular joints (TMJs). Individual chapters on assessment of the neurovascular system, palpation, the pelvis, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, lower and midcervical spine, upper cervical spine and TMJs appear in this part. The chapters dedicated to the individual sections of the spine are all organized similarly, covering the functional features of the area, muscular influences, motor-sensory relationships, as well as regional, segmental, and instability examinations. All of the examination techniques are presented clearly with patient and therapist position, stabilization, and description of how the technique is performed. Techniques in the weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing positions further enhance the diagnosing abilities of therapists. Pictures, tables, and charts throughout the book assist readers in gaining an understanding of the material. Additionally, there is information on sclerotomes and viscerotomes not commonly found in other orthopedic books and a more detailed assessment of the neurovascular system. Despite all the advantages of this book, it has a few shortcomings. The first, noted above, is the number of older references. The book is very well referenced, but a lot of references date back over 20 years ago. In the age of evidence-based medicine, this can be a less than desirable feature for some. The second is that some diagrams in the TMJ section are labeled in the Dutch format instead of the English format. Readers not familiar with the anatomy of that area may have a harder time understanding what they are looking at.
Assessment: Overall, however, this is a great contribution to the OMT world. It provides readers with a lot of information about a unique approach to the assessment and management of the spine and TMJs, broadening their perspective.