Clinical Anatomy and Management of Low Back Pain

This book has particular relevance to complementary medicine, since it contains considerable input from osteopaths and chiropractors. It may well be the only book on the subject which contains separate chapters on chiropractic and osteopathic management. In addition, there is also a chapter entitled “Contraindications to spinal manipulation”. To a large extent, the book is evidence-based. I was impressed to read that “spinal manipulation is the most studied form of treatment to date for low back pain”, but I remain not entirely convinced that this is true. It is interesting to note that the authors do not seem to see any place for acupuncture in the treatment of low back pain; there is no mention of it anywhere in the book. Needless to say, this is out of line with published evidence.

In addition to detailing the various approaches to the management of low back pain, the book also contains most informative sections on epidemiology, anatomy, pathology, clinical neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and diagnosis.

In spite of the minor flaws, I can recommend this book to anybody who wants to study the numerous questions surrounding low back pain. It is also a useful guide for the clinical management of the condition. However, for a truly in-depth analysis of all the problems associated with low back pain, there are better and more detailed books.