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When I was a medical student interested in physical medicine and
rehabilitation (PM&R), I found several excellent detailed texts for
PM&R and I also encountered a few good, quick reference materials.
What I felt was lacking was a comprehensive but high-yield, focused
review of the most important points that I could read before and during
my rotation. As a junior resident in PM&R, I again encountered the
same frustration. What I was looking for was a book that would slice
through the minutiae and offer me the critical information that I would
need to know during a PM&R clinical rotation. Such high-yield review
texts exist in other fields and I was never quite sure why they did not
exist for ours. I suppose it is in part because we are a relatively young
and small specialty. Additionally, the breadth and scope of our field,
from treating the most debilitated patients to professional athletes,
might seem daunting at first glance. And yet, as Dr. Strauss has eloquently
laid out in her foreword to this book, there is a unifying theme
of function that pervades the diverse aspects of our field.
In Essential Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, I have aimed
to create the book that I had sought as a medical student and junior
resident. Each chapter is written by recognized experts and educators
in their respective fields. Each chapter is written as though telling a
medical student or junior resident, in concise terms, everything he or
she should know before—and during—a first rotation in the given subspecialty.
I believe this book accomplishes that goal. I hope you will
agree.
Comprehensive and concise review of the essential facts needed to do a successful clinical rotation in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Writing to be quickly read and comprehended, the authors spell out the implications of brain injury, the effects of spinal cord injury, the uses of orthotics and prosthetics, and the crucial importance of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation to maximize functional independence. Additional chapters detail the principles of pediatric, neuromuscular, cancer, and orthopedic rehabilitation, and demonstrate the use of electrodiagnostic techniques that can be used to help localize a lesion of the neuromuscular system and determine its severity, time course, and prognosis. The book also provides a handy review for passing PM&R board exams. |
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