Book Review

Neck Ache and Shoulder Pain

N Engl J Med 1994; 330:1694June 9, 1994

Article

Neck Ache and Shoulder Pain
By Ian Macnab and John McCulloch. 507 pp., illustrated. Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, 1994. $69. ISBN: 0-683-05354-X

This book is divided into three sections: one on neck ache, the second on shoulder pain, and the third a single chapter that reviews the differential diagnosis of neck and shoulder pain. The concepts are presented with remarkable clarity and precision. The book is very readable and well illustrated. The chapters dealing with anatomy, cervical-disk degeneration, whiplash injury, and degenerative changes around the glenohumeral joint are exceptionally well written and referenced. The book, though not designed as a textbook of surgical techniques, covers the principles adequately.

Nonetheless, there are a few printing or typographic errors. The first x-ray picture in the book, Figure 1.5, is printed upside down. 4.1 refers to cervical braces that do not match the pictures referred to. In Figure 11.12, teres major and teres minor are mislabeled.

The authors have done an excellent job of fulfilling their goal of simplifying the problem of treating patients handicapped by persistent pain in the neck, shoulder, or arm. This is an essential book for practitioners involved in the care of patients with neck and shoulder pain.

Parminder S. Phull, M.D.
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111