Red Flags: A Guide to Identifying Serious Pathology of the Spine (Physiotherapy Pocketbooks)

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. This valuable clinical reference alerts practitioners to potentially serious indicators of pathology in their patients, such as cancer, tuberculosis (TB), or other conditions. With a fresh approach to the subject, it presents an hierarchy of red flags, an index of suspicion, discussion of red herrings, ''3D thinking,'' and conditional probabilities intended to assist with clinical reasoning. It's an ideal, on-the-spot resource for anyone involved in the care of patients with musculoskeletal conditions. The book's small, portable size makes it ideal for reference in any practice setting. Two-color layout presents information in an accessible, at-a-glance format. The unique red flag hierarchy assists with clinical reasoning. Index of Suspicion highlights the most likely conditions indicated by specific red flags. Discussion of 3D thinking encourages clinicians to look beyond immediate symptoms to find the underlying cause of a problem. Discussion of red herrings describes how to approach indicators that may mislead a diagnosis. Information on the concept of conditional probabilities helps practitioners make informed clinical decisions. "Red Flags is the essential guide to correctly identifying and acting on warning signs when a therapist becomes suspicious of serious pathology in a patient presenting with back pain. This handy pocketbook offers practical strategies for developing clinical reasoning so that therapists are able to distinguish between Red Flags and Red Herrings along the patient journey, and have greater confidence in their diagnosis."--Jacket Serious pathology accounts for only 1 per cent of back pain in the general population, however, if you work within musculoskeletal medicine, at some stage, you can see a patient with serious pathology. This guide identifies and acts on warning signs when a therapist becomes suspicious of serious pathology in a patient presenting with back pain. sdarticle......Page 1 sdarticle_001......Page 2 sdarticle_002......Page 5 sdarticle_003......Page 6 sdarticle_004......Page 10 sdarticle_005......Page 54 sdarticle_006......Page 93 sdarticle_007......Page 118 sdarticle_008......Page 173 sdarticle_009......Page 193 sdarticle_010......Page 202