Differential Diagnosis in Physical Therapy: Musculoskeletal and Systemic Conditions - Softcover

This popular quick reference for patient screening provides information on systemic diseases that may mimic neuromusculoskeletal problems. It emphasizes the interviewing process, outlines clinical signs and symptoms, includes physician referral sections and numerous case studies, and contains key points at the end of each chapter. Additional material includes coverage of disease etiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, prognosis, diagnosis, and medical treatment, as well as a section on the immune system and its relationship to cancer and HIV. Follows APTA accreditation standards.

This updated edition provides physical therapists with the information they need to readily identify neuromusculoskeletal pathology and other conditions that present as musculoskeletal problems, and distinguishes conditions that may require further medical care. It outlines a step-by-step approach to patient evaluation that follows the standards of competency as established by the APTA for screening examinations. Key features of the text include: an emphasis on the interviewing process that provides a systematic aproach to patient/client evaluation and screening; physician referral sections providing guidelines for recommending medical attention or precautions/contraindications in therapy; case studies and examples demonstrating practical applications; information about disease aetiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, prognosis, diagnosis and medical treatment, identifying problems that mimic musculoskeletal conditions; illustrations of primary and referred pain patterns identifying systemic diseases; and summaries of important points from a systemic and neuromusculoskeletal frame of reference.