Physiotherapist Nick Worth hails 'Managing the Spino-Pelvic-Hip Complex: An integrated approach'

Managing the Spino-Pelvic-Hip Complex: An integrated approach

Authors: Carl Todd; associate editor Suzanne Scott

Publisher: Handspring Publishing

Price: £45

ISBN: 9781913426293

Author Carl Todd is a highly experienced osteopath who has worked with a wide range of elite athletes, including England footballers and other high-profile athletes. He has packed lessons from his impressive career into this book, offering case studies that illustrate his clinical reasoning and options for managing injuries.

The system that he created consists of five ‘ates’: Evaluate, Educate, Manipulate, Activate and Integrate. These themes are applied throughout the book in easy to digest sections that highlight where a particular ‘ate’ can be applied to a patient.

Todd’s writing style is both extremely clear and relatable. The reader always has a strong sense of the author's working diagnosis or thought process as applied to all aspects of patient care.

I really appreciated Todd's pattern recognition in injury management when working with patients, which demonstrated the author’s many years of experience but can be adopted by a less experienced clinician.

The diagrams are very clear and in colour, which made the book enjoyable to read, and every important point is well referenced throughout. It was interesting to consider how some of the smaller or deeper musculature of the hip and pelvis area can have an impact on pain and function.

The book combines a wide variety of techniques that cross over the whole musculoskeletal specialty: osteopathic techniques, soft tissue and muscle energy techniques, strength and conditioning, and rehabilitation ideas.

On a few occasions, I, being a physiotherapist, was unclear about some of the techniques but the reasoning behind everything was described in a logical and appropriate fashion.

Overall, this book is a triumph and a ‘must-have’ text. It would be at home in any clinic – offering tips and suggestions about examination, treatment options and rehabilitation exercises for patients with spino-pelvic-hip conditions

Psychological aspects 

Todd focuses on the psychological aspects of athlete care and outlines the communication skills we need to educate and facilitate optimal performance. This come from a lifetime of patient contact, but the tips offered are a goldmine for less experienced clinicians.

The comprehensive nature of this book makes it a key text for all the musculoskeletal professions. Each profession can recognise the blend of experience that is described and where they might need development.

The balanced discussion about the effects of manual therapy and manipulative techniques is honest and informative. Todd mentions several times that this is not a ‘recipe book’ of techniques but rather than he is describing his personal experience. It is up to the reader to take away and assimilate what’s offered with their own knowledge and skills. For me, this was a refreshing and standpoint as often textbooks can be prescriptive in their approach.

Reassuring tone 

The writing style has a reassuring tone and will make readers feel that they could appreciate how much consideration had gone into the development of the five ‘ates’ system.

There are a lot of ‘clinical gems’ that add to the main text information – these complement the array of clear photographs of the techniques and handling points required for each technique. My only minor criticism was that the text accompanying some photographs were on a different page to the pictures and so flipping between pages while trying to consider what technique I might attempt was a challenge.

Overall, this book is a triumph and a ‘must-have’ text. It would be at home in any clinic – offering tips and suggestions about examination, treatment options and rehabilitation exercises for patients with spino-pelvic-hip conditions. Todd manages to maintain a balance between offering evidence-based practice alongside his exceptional clinical experience to provide the reader with an engaging and informative textbook.

Nick Worth is a physiotherapist who runs a private practice and is chair of the Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM). For more information about SOMM, visit: https://sommcourses.org

To access a recent PhysioUpdate article about Nick, click here  Twitter: @Nickworthphysio