Knee Disorders: Surgery, Rehabilitation, Clinical Outcomes

This book is not a bedtime read but an encyclopaedic tome in over 1,100 pages of very fine print!

Editor Frank R. Noyes and Associate Editor Sue D. Barber-Westin (both of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA), have invited chapters from an authoritative group of expert contributors primarily from the USA. Much of the content, however, has been written the by the two editors themselves.

It really is a reference text by knee experts for knee experts, with over 1,000 full colour photographs and illustrations and over 3,000 references.

Although the content is always focused on the clinical issues faced by knee surgeons, there is a very strong underpinning of scientific biomechanical evidence, and a very heavy focus on evidence-based rehabilitation.

The anatomy sections are intensively illustrated and supported by photographs of cadaveric dissections. Ligament problems are very comprehensively covered in six sections, comprising 25 chapters. Three chapters discuss issues relating to meniscus tears, meniscus repair, meniscus transplantation and rehabilitation. Osteotomy for bony malalignment is covered in six chapters, including two relating to extensor mechanism malalignment and rotational deformity affecting the extensor mechanism. 

Articular cartilage procedures seem to have been a little short-changed, with only two chapters on surgical techniques and two chapters on rehabilitation after cartilage procedures.

I was happy to see a full and very authoritative 43 pages on knee arthrofibrosis, including a discussion of pre-disposing factors, classification and management.

Two further very useful chapters cover the issues of knee pain of neural origin and complex regional pain syndrome.

The final four chapters focus on knee rating outcomes instruments (scoring systems to rate the success or failure of surgical procedures). Interestingly the content of these is all internet-based and not in the actual book itself.

An interesting device in the book is the frequent appearance of a 'Critical Points' box, highlighting the main points of the section and making skimming through the book a lot easier.

Dr Noyes and Ms Barber-Westin have embraced the internet with this volume, offering purchasers a code to gain full online access to the content. There is also a version of the book available for the Kindle. Finally another plus is a supporting DVD with medial content for the reader to keep and use.

Altogether this is an amazing book and any knee surgeon would be pleased to have it to hand as a reference.

 

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