help on what books

[100YardDash]

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Hey whats up SDNer's. I start my first PM&R rotation on monday at UTsouthwestern then have another PM&R rotation lined up the following month at a different hospital. I've searched the PM&R forum on how to do well on your rotation and what books to read up on etc. I had the month of august off, completed step 2, and used the rest of my free time to shadow a local PP PM&R doc who specializes in brain injury rehab, botox injections, and baclofen pump this past month and it's really reinforced my reasons of pursuing a career as a physiatrist. I must say, it's such a great field man... I love what you guys do.

So, after reading a couple of threads, I ordered PM&R secrets and Hoppenfeld's Physical exam of the spine and extremities. Now, when I asked the PP doc what he thought, he said I should ditch these books and focus mostly on knowing musculoskeletal and nervous system anatomy cold. I only have 8 weeks total in PM&R and would appreciate any advice on what I should focus on to get the most out of my limited time? Should I be reading hoppenfeld's and my anatomy to get the physical exam down or should I be concentrating more on PM&R secrets? I hate being the annoying naive student but would appreciate any feedback. Much appreciated and have a great weekend

 

[RUOkie]

Just relax. I would read selectively when you are on your rotation. In other words, when you see a patient that is interesting, read all you can on that condition. But in reality, most of what we do goes back to anatomy and biomechanics. There is not a lot of "physiology" (at least not on the cellular level) in our jobs. Ask a lot of questions, and pay attention to the details.

 

[100YardDash]

Just relax. I would read selectively when you are on your rotation. In other words, when you see a patient that is interesting, read all you can on that condition. But in reality, most of what we do goes back to anatomy and biomechanics. There is not a lot of "physiology" (at least not on the cellular level) in our jobs. Ask a lot of questions, and pay attention to the details.

thanks Ruokie

 

[axm397]

i would get the pocketpedia (Choi) - that has some good concise info and it will fit in your pocket.

 

[Phillyborn]

I would also strongly suggest Choi. There is a great table (page 2-3) that has the primary muscles involved for each major joint's movements with peripheral and spinal root innervations. Knowing these was 85% of the questions I was asked during my outpatient PM&R rotations.

If you're really interested in anatomy/msk books, I like Daniels and Worthingham's muscle testing (which you can pick up an old version of on Amazon for not too much) and Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care (which just came out with a new edition, but is still pretty pricey).

 

[100YardDash]

ok thanks. Appreciate the responses everyone

 

[caedmon]

"Aids to the Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System" is pretty good for learning the peripheral nervous anatomy and exam.