Physiotherapy 90 (2004) 111–112

Reviews

Book review: Manage Your Pain: Practical and PositiveWays of Adapting to Chronic Pain Dr. Michael Nicholas,Dr. Allan Molloy, Lois Tonkin, Lee Beeston, Souvenir PressLtd, London, 2003, £12.99, ISBN 0-285-63679-0

This book is likely to become a resource for Pain Man-agement Programmes and chronic pain sufferers. It comesfrom an experienced multidisciplinary team from Sydney,Australia where a cognitive-behavioural pain managementprogramme was established in 1994. The authors give creditin their book to the many clinicians and patients with whomthey have worked over many more years, including the In-put team in London. The approach will be familiar to PainManagement Physiotherapists because of the book’s clearfocus upon the Cognitive-Behavioural approach. It is writtenfor people who have chronic pain, but like any good patientresource it allows easy access to the subject matter for clini-cians as well. It would therefore make an excellent additionto an undergraduate reading list, and a valuable addition toan Outpatient Physiotherapy Department library.

The book has over 200 pages, divided into 19 chaptersthat encourage the reader, as each is concise and clear in itspurpose, with a title that guides the reader into specific sub-jects as required. There are regular cross-references to othersections that strengthen the message that successful painmanagement depends upon a number of interacting skills.Plain English is used, and the main points are reinforcedwith examples of patients who have graduated from the PainManagement Programme in Sydney. A reference list of theevidence of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural painmanagement is included as an Appendix.

Some of the exercises appear difficult and may reflect thecharacteristics of the Australian chronic pain patient, whichmay be different to those seen in the UK. However, there areexercises for other levels of ability. The book would perhapsbe best used to support the work of a skilled Physiotherapistwho has experience in tailoring and modifying rehabilitationprogrammes according to individual ability and progress.

Peter GladwellPain Management Centre, Frenchay Hospital

North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS16 1LE, UKTel.: +44-117-9753890.

E-mail address:Peter.Gladwell@north-bristolswest.nhs.uk

doi:10.1016/S0031-9406(04)00013-6

Video Review: Back StabilityChristopher M. Norris, Human Kinetics, ISBN0-7360-4660-7

This video is a new resource tool designed to complementthe author’s book of the same name (ISBN 0-7360-0081-X)published in 2000. The video illustrates the practical exer-cise components presented in the book. It provides visualreinforcement of the specific techniques and possible com-pensatory movements associated with stability exercises fortherapists who are familiar with the book or other texts onspinal stabilisation. It can also be used to teach the exer-cises to patients. However, the video should not be usedin isolation as a learning resource, as it does not explorethe theoretical and scientific basis of spinal stabilisation.The conceptual foundations of spinal stability are dealt within the first three chapters of the book. Without an under-standing of these principles the rest of the book and indeedthe entire video “will appear that is to be little more thanone more listing of exercises” as Chris Norris states in hisbook.

The introductory section of the video acknowledges theresearch work by therapists across the world and brieflydiscusses the three related components of spinal stabil-isation, the active, passive and control systems. It alsodiscusses, with the aid of some simple anatomical dia-grams, the various muscles involved in maintaining ef-fective spinal stability, but with little in-depth analysis oftheir stabilising role. The video then proceeds though aseries of exercises from isolation of Transversus Abdomi-nis with a hollowing action to limb loading and functionalgym exercises. The entire programme lasts a little under40 minutes.

Clinician who are involved in the treatment of patientswith low back pain and who use stabilisation exercises willfind this video useful to reinforce the instructions and infor-mation given during treatment.

Video—Human Kinetics 2003, ISBN 0-7360-4660-7, 30minutes, price £31.95

Book—Human Kinetics 2000, ISBN 0-7360-0081-X, hard-back, illus., 271 pp., price £26

Also available from January 2003—Back Stability Package(comprises book, CD-Rom and Video) ISBN 0-7360-4661-5, price £83

112 Reviews / Physiotherapy 90 (2004) 111–112

Claire Small, M Phty St, MMACPPure Sports Medicine, 116 Cromwell Road

London SW7 4XR, UKTel.:+44-870-200-0878; fax:+44-207-373-4612

E-mail address: claire.small@puresportsmed.com

23 February 2004

doi:10.1016/j.physio.2004.02.005

CD review: ShenProfessional Software for Acupunctureand Traditional Chinese Medicine

Jurgen Bschaden, Jens Simon, Daniela C. Van Wart, BrigitteAngelescu, Martin C. Hirsch, Christina Zineker, ChristianSchafer, Thomas Kramer, Springer Electronic Media,Heidelberg, 2003, Version 1.1, £194, ISBN 3-540-14912-0

This CD is aimed at practitioners in acupuncture andTraditional Chinese Medicine. The software is written byexperienced practitioners with a view to providing fast ac-cess to the vast volume of theoretical and clinical informa-tion often locked away in traditional texts. The software haspatient management systems built-in which provide sectionsfor diagnostic and clinic administration data such as billing.

The ShenProfessional software is informative and wellwritten and the layout is in the familiar Windows format.Information on acupuncture point descriptions, Chinese di-agnosis and treatment strategies are accurate and detailed.The software will complement existing traditional texts,cross-referencing contemporary books used in Chinese med-ical schools evidenced in the bibliography. There is also acomprehensive tutorial index for users to work through aswell as an Internet website for technical support if needed.

The diagrams and graphics are of the highest quality anddelivered in a layer system which is user controlled and givesthree-dimensional images of acupuncture points from skin,into the muscle and bone. This will reinforce practitioners’knowledge of surface anatomy and the relationship of thestructures within the vicinity of the needle insertion.

Existing software packages on training and educationperform similar functions, providing knowledge-basedinformation or clinical management systems, but these tendto be presented in isolation. Other systems also lack thesophistication of programme layout, charts and hyperlinksearching facilities offered by ShenProfessional.

A minor programming error in the software (version 1.1)is apparent when an incorrect entry is made on the patientdatabase, an error box appears in the German language. Thisis a minor bug which the authors may rectify in a later edi-tion of the software.

In conclusion, the ShenProfessional software is well pre-sented and would be useful to students and practitioners ofacupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In view ofthe cost, it may be outside the financial realm of generalusers but individual advanced practitioners/private clinicsmay find the software valuable for the patient managementsystem alone. Libraries and departments will be appropri-ate venues for a reference copy of the software to be madeavailable to their users. The CD is also well suited for theseasoned, travelling and up-to-date clinician who works ina variety of locations.

Kam-Wah Mak

doi:10.1016/S0031-9406(04)00015-X