Orthopedic Physical Assessment, 7e

Book Preface

In 2014, when I completed the 6th edition of Orthopedic Physical Assessment, I thought it would be the last revision that I would do. Fortunately, I have been given an oppor-tunity by Elsevier to do a 7th edition of the book and to work with the individual who will take over as author/edi-tor of Orthopedic Physical Assessment–Dr. Robert Manske, who will work with my irreplaceable developmental edi-tor, Bev Evjen, on any future editions. With the support of Elsevier, I believe the book is in good hands.
I remember when the first edition was printed and Elsevier told me they were going to print a first run of 8000 copies. All I could think about was “how long would it take to sell 8000 copies when I only taught 40 physical therapy students a year?” The book went through three printings in the first year and the rest, as they say, “is his-tory!” To do something in your life and have it succeed well beyond all of one’s expectations, hopes, and dreams has been very gratifying and hugely rewarding. The sup-port of people who have provided input and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and their input has contrib-uted greatly to the book. The support of these people, my models for the photos in the book, my students, and my family are greatly appreciated.

When the first edition was published in 1987, I hoped at that time that I would be able to develop a series of books that would meet the needs of rehabilitation clini-cians in the area of musculoskeletal conditions. With the assistance of the other editors, James Zachazewski, Sandy Quillen, and Rob Manske, and with a number of experts in their respective fields, my dream became a reality with the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Series, with Orthopedic Physical Assessment being the cornerstone of the book series.
In this edition of Orthopedic Physical Assessment, infor-mation has been updated in all of the chapters with several new tests and figures, especially in the area of concussions and assessment of the hip. The tables on the reliability and validity of many of the special tests and the examples of many functional tests have been moved to the Student Consult website, where they are available electronically for those who want them. Reliability studies for testing show variability in their outcomes, so key tests are high-lighted using different icons because the value of the tests have been demonstrated clinically and/or statistically that they contribute to determining what the problem is. Hopefully, this will help students and clinicians determine which tests could be effective depending on the pathol-ogy being presented. These special tests do not replace a good history or examination.

This book, as the title suggests, is about assessing for musculoskeletal pathology. It is not a pathology textbook. As part of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Series, the companion book to Orthopedic Physical Assessment is Pathology and Interventions in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, which goes into much greater detail on pathological conditions and their treatment. As “book-ends” to these two books, Scientific Foundations and Principles of Practice in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation provides information on healing of different tissue types, pain and aging, and the principles of different types of practice to treat different musculoskeletal tissue types; while Athletic and Sport Issues in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation deals with more acute injuries and issues related to the more active individual, specific groups, and specific activities as they relate to sport.