Pain text for a resident w/ plans for a pain fellowship?

[Taus]

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I'm a PGY-3 PM&R resident who will be applying to pain fellowships this year and I'm trying to decide which book to buy for now. I plan on waiting until I'm (hopefully) starting fellowship to buy the "bible" type of text and an image-based procedural text. For now I'd like to get something fairly concise and readable that will be useful for my pain rotations as a resident to get the major concepts down.

From what I've read by searching this forum I'm currently thinking about getting "Essentials of Pain Medicine" by Benzon. Any other suggestions or is that a good way to go for now?

Thanks a lot

 

[emd123]

Concise and image based would be Rathmell's guide of Interventional Pain and Regional Anesthesia. It's by no means the "Bible" of Pain, but I like it.

 

[DOctorJay]

Fenton's book is great for understanding imaging associated with procedures. I like Rathmell as well. Principles and Practice of Pain med by Bajwa is pretty good and you might have access to this already through your hospital online library.

 

[PMR2008]

I agree with Fenton. I also highly recommend "ISIS Practice Guidelines for Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Procedures".

 

[Taus]

Thank you very much everyone, greatly appreciated. What about for the non-interventional aspects of pain?

 

[DOctorJay]

Again, Bajwa

 

[silvester78]

I am in the same dilemma. I am going to start a pain fellow this autumn. I have already Benzon's book but i don't think it suits me. I am looking for something- let's say- "Morgan" of pain management. A book that has consistency through the chapters and has an homogenous "culture" of pain management. And also be highly readable. Am I asking too much?

 

[epidural man]

I am in the same dilemma. I am going to start a pain fellow this autumn. I have already Benzon's book but i don't think it suits me. I am looking for something- let's say- "Morgan" of pain management. A book that has consistency through the chapters and has an homogenous "culture" of pain management. And also be highly readable. Am I asking too much?

Raj's Practical Management of Pain is a good book. It is readable and organized okay. However, it is kind of old (2008). I think the update is slated for next year.

 

[Ducttape]

for something easy to carry, fairly thorough, and, if i remember correctly, recently updated, i would still recommend Benzon Essentials. Fenton is going to be very helpful too. ISIS, eh... I also have Waldman's Atlas of Interventional Pain Management - colorful, somewhat helpful if you arent as comfortable with procedures yet.

 

[Doctodd]

Fenton is awesome. Nice big pictures for dumb people like me...easy to read. It is missing some basic procedures like SGB, but you can supplement with other books.

 

[Taus]

Thank you very much everyone- greatly appreciate the responses.

My only concern w Fenton is that it's from 2002 and I can't find a mention of a second edition coming out. Main/core material is that good that it is essentially not outdated?

 

[deleted185747]

Everyone left out one majorly important book

Bogduk: Anatomy of the lumbar spine and sacrum.

If you know that cold and can quote it and apply it you will excell in your rotations

 

[Jcm800]

Not to be Debbie downer, but they all suck. Benzon essentials is good for a basic overview, but get the ones with the pictures and are easy to read. Basic science is coved in most of those books, but beyond that, they are all outdated and impractical.

I have ALL of those books, the big raj, the little raj, the big benzon, little benson. The paper back cliff note like books are the best to take away things, but I think the real learning I tink happens at journal club and specifically researchg individual topics, I think I learned the most from actual lit reviews and review articles.


The knee jerk response is to arm yourself with all the texts so you fell you have "access" to the info, but Its a waste of money.

Isis book, Fenton, little benzon or pain made practical or whatever it's called. Start there. You have everything you need with access to medline. Review articles often summarize all you need. The basic science in these big books will unlikely ever need t be accessed.

But i am just a dumb backwoods pain doc...

 

[Taus]

thank you

 

[silvester78]

..but I think the real learning I tink happens at journal club and specifically researchg individual topics, I think I learned the most from actual lit reviews and review articles.

What's the opinion of anyone about "practical pain management" articles?

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

What's the opinion of anyone about "practical pain management" articles?

A magazine written by quacks of dozens of different quasi-medical fields, edited by a doc who thinks there is no downside to opioid prescribing.

 

[Ducttape]

The basic science in these big books will unlikely ever need t be accessed.

But i am just a dumb backwoods pain doc...

hate to disagree with you... but the basic science is unfortunately asked, and usually in a very obtuse and confusing manner, on the pain boards. beyond "what receptor does it affect", but nit picky stuff like the fact that there are several different lidocaine channels and the actual calcium channel blocker subunits and the specific prostaglandins that needs to be blocked with antiinflammatories, the specific laminae that are involved and the location of pathways in which lamina etc etc.

so a fellow has to know that stuff for 4 hours of their life. thankfully, i can forget that stuff for 9 more years.

 

[TX PAIN DOC]

Everyone left out one majorly important book

Bogduk: Anatomy of the lumbar spine and sacrum.

If you know that cold and can quote it and apply it you will excell in your rotations

I second that!!

Bogduk and Bonica's Management of Pain are good sources.

However, this forum is better than any textbook. 👍 😀 😍

 

[PMR2008]

However, this forum is better than any textbook. 👍 😀 😍

+1 👍

 

[Jcm800]

hate to disagree with you... but the basic science is unfortunately asked, and usually in a very obtuse and confusing manner, on the pain boards. beyond "what receptor does it affect", but nit picky stuff like the fact that there are several different lidocaine channels and the actual calcium channel blocker subunits and the specific prostaglandins that needs to be blocked with antiinflammatories, the specific laminae that are involved and the location of pathways in which lamina etc etc.

so a fellow has to know that stuff for 4 hours of their life. thankfully, i can forget that stuff for 9 more years.

I thought that the basic science was pretty thorough in all the review texts, and I passed never opening one of those big texts I bought...

But I don't remember the test that well, so maybe I got those questions wrong, but got enoug right...

 

[nwbgn]

Raj's Practical Management of Pain is a good book. It is readable and organized okay. However, it is kind of old (2008). I think the update is slated for next year.

I have Raj's Practical Management of Pain textbook and agree that it is a fairly easy read and covered the basics in a straightforward manner. I used it during fellowship and it worked out well for me. I have a mint extra copy still in shrinkwrap if anyone is interested you can PM me.