Manipulative Therapy in Rehabilitation Locomotor System 3rd Edition

This text, published initially in 1985, and available in three editions, is, in my professional opinion, the most useful text on the subject of spinal locomotor dysfunction and its sequelae of any ever available. I am dismayed to find that it is no longer published, as the information contained within is just as useful and relevant today as it was twenty years ago. Dr. Lewit amassed an enormous amount of skill and knowledge during his many years of practice in Czechoslovakia, and he patiently shares much of that knowledge throughout this text. The book follows a logical progression, beginning with a description of the various types of locomotor dysfunction, then progressing to examination and therapeutics (manual treatment). He then provides a lengthy chapter dealing with detailed evaluation and differential diagnosis of many conditions often associated with or caused by locomotor dysfunction, as well as his experiences on important modifications or contraindications when warranted. Unlike many contemporary texts, Dr. Lewit's text reads as a detailed guide. He patiently takes the reader through each topic, providing all of the essential bits-and-pieces along the way. I've rarely encountered a text that is this thorough in its coverage. I still refer to this text regularly, though my copy is extensively highlighted, marked, and well-read. His sections on the evaluation and differential considerations of cervical torticollis, disturbances of equilibrium, and pseudoradicular syndromes are unrivaled -- better than any text I've yet read in chiropractic, neurology, or orthopedics. This is also the only text I've yet read that demonstrates the proper use and differential diagnosis of conditions causing an abnormal Hautant's test (it's for a lot more than vertibrobasilar ischemia). Dr. Lewit practiced with two other notable Czech physicians: Dr.s Jan Jirout and Vladimir Janda. These three men have published extensively since the 1950s on topics related to manual medicine, and their expertise, though not in name, is also evident in this book. In my professional opinion, this book is worth its weight in gold for the information it contains, especially now that it's no longer published. Of all the texts I own on locomotor dysfunction, this is the best.

Every chapter is a complete book, there is not a single wasted word or irrelevant concept. This text is priceless, it is my most prized book among several thousand on my shelf. I use it everyday still after 15 years in practice, Karel Lewit IS irreplaceable.