Musculoskeletal Pain - Assessment, Prediction and Treatment

Book excerpt: Musculoskeletal Pain - Assessment, Prediction and Treatment presents a common sense approach to interpreting and applying existing clinical knowledge and new research to help clinicians make sense of the complex phenomena of acute and chronic post-traumatic musculoskeletal pain. Built upon the Assess, Predict, Treat framework, the authors offer a method to help clinicians better understand their patients' pain. They present evidence-based decision tools to predict the natural and clinical course of common conditions, such as neck and low back pain, and they then synthesize that information into a logical, integrated treatment approach, which respects the individuality of the patient, the experiences of the clinician, and the value of evidence-informed practice. David Walton and James Elliott are leaders in the field of post-traumatic pain and recovery. Their work provides a valuable framework to facilitate novice clinicians in their transition towards experts and helps mid- and late-stage clinicians better interpret, synthesize, and discuss complex information on pain with the goal of optimised outcomes for patients.