Arthritis of the Hip and Knee: The Active Person's Guide to Taking Charge »

A comprehensive, easy-to-understand handbook that empowers you, the patient, to take control and become actively involved in decision-making, medical treatment, and rehabilitation.

• Causes, treatment options, and disease progression
• Advice on living with osteoarthritis
• Pre-operative therapies
• Surgery: preparation for, costs and benefits, options, procedures, and improved techniques
• Post-operative therapy
• Exercise and physical therapy
• Advice on living with an implant
• The future of care for arthritis
• 100 photographs and illustrations showing exercises, movements, before-and-after x-rays, implants

A collaborative effort of three key people - the patient who had both of his hips replaced by the age of 45, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation, and the physiatrist who supervised rehabilitation following the patient's second hip surgery. Each contributes unique insights into physical therapy for and the medical treatment of osteoarthritis.

Library Journal

In the United States, arthritis is the leading cause of disability, resulting in over 350,000 joint replacements annually. Orthopedist S. David Stulberg and rehabilitation physician Victoria Brander (both of Northwestern Memorial Hosp. Rehabilitation Inst. in Chicago), along with patient Allen (a lawyer), have collaborated on this comprehensive patient handbook, which discusses the basics of arthritis, alternative therapies, joint replacement, and the frontiers of research. The book also reflects the change in thinking regarding the level of physical activity advised for arthritis patients. More importantly, it fills a gap in the literature by outlining a step-by-step process from preparing for surgery through recovery. The book is well organized and clearly written, with numerous black-and-white illustrations. Exercises are easy to follow, and the authors make the requisite caveat to consult a therapist. Following the medical information, Allen presents his own perspecive and experience and addresses aspects of surgery and recovery sometimes minimized by professionals. Recommended as an inexpensive addition to healthcare collections targeting patient education needs surrounding arthritis or joint replacement surgery.--Lisa McCormick, Jewish Hosp. Lib., Cincinnati