(Part 3) Top products from r/physicaltherapy

This is what I have in my library off the top of my head:

Magee - Orthopedic Assessment - Good for special tests, differential diagnosis, and general background knowledge. This is the first textbook many PT schools ask their students to purchase.



Joint Structure and Function - A good biomechanics textbook if you're interested. I remember it being assigned in both my undergrad kinesiology class as well as Biomechanics and Adv. Biomechanics in PT school.


Observational Gait Analysis - Good gait analysis text but super detailed. It is out of Ranchos Los Amigos, one of the foremost gait mechanic analysis institutions in the US.



Mulligan - Manual Therapy - A great resource, but Mulligan was kind of a strange fellow so keep that in mind.


Manual Therapy - Advanced - Great read, but honestly kind of pricey and probably not worth the cost for an OT. PT though? Definitely recommend.



American College of Sports Medicine - Super convenient to have. Great for medical exercise dosage and cardiopulmonary considerations.


Therapeutic Exercise Foundations - Good read, with some manual therapy thrown in.

If you're super intense, though, you'll want Sahrmann's Book.


To be honest, as a student of any discipline, I'd recommend just making a free account on hep2go.com and looking through their exercises to brush up. The above reads are great if you are interested, though, and I'd recommend for any PT library.



Hope this helps!

I am a biology major, and it has been a while since i took Anatomy, but i am looking for something that would give me a a bit of biomechanics/kinesiology while brushing me up on anatomy. The reason i made this post is because i was searching on amazon and found this book. It looks like what i'm looking for but i wanted to ask the community to see if there was something better/similar out there. I just looked up Basic Biomechanics, and that looks like a good book as well. I figure i've got 6 months off until i start school (i graduate with my undergrad in december) So i can devote my time to reading one textbook deeply, and i want to pick a good one.

If you are looking for something more educational I suggest "A Guide to Better Movement" by Todd Hargrove. It's an interesting read on how the nervous system modulates movement, and it is written intelligently but is still an easy read.

If you are looking for something more along the lines of a novel try "Run, Don't Walk" by Adele Levine. It a story about a PT who worked at Walter Reed Medical Center treating veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The book is less about the science of physical therapy and more about her interactions with patients. It's also good in that the book is darkly funny and not depressing.

We can't really give specific medical advice in this sub. However, I would recommend getting yourself a copy of "How to Treat Your Own Neck" by Robin McKenzie. The techniques within the book are from a school of classification and treatment known as Mechanical Diagnosis and Treatment (MDT) or the McKenzie Method. The method certainly isn't the be all end all of treating neck pain, but it can often be useful and is a simple way for you to treat yourself.

Otherwise, I would recommend that you see a qualified medical professional.

How to Treat Your Own Neck

On a professional level, I would recommend something related to anatomy. This is one of the toughest courses in any curriculum and any advantage will be useful.

On a more personal note, I would recommend reading something that gives a patient's perspective -- something that helps us understand what it's like to be a patient or have a disability. Here are a few of my faves:

1. Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot by John Callahan
   
   
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
   
   
3. Moving Violations by John Hockenberry.
   
   and anything by Oliver Sacks (though The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is my fave).
   
   Enjoy!
   

This book is fantastic and completely worth the money.

Trail Guide to the Body

I also recommend the anatomy coloring books, and surprisingly, if you search Pinterest there are a lot of really nice charts and pics.

How are you with Anatomy? If not so great, first get this and learn as much in there as you can. Especially the neuro-musculo-skeletal stuff.

Now that you kind of know a little about anatomy, you'll need to learn how all those parts work. I recommend this kinesiology textbook.

Now that you know all the pieces and how they're supposed to work together, you'll need a text that talks about musculoskeletal dysfunctions and how to go about managing some of those conditions with exercise and other forms of treatment. I recommend this text for that.

Good luck!

Six year program? As in a 3 plus 3 program? Nice!

I too am in the same boat and have asked the same question. From many responses that I've gotten, I'm preparing by by Netter's Atlas, I've heard it's a great supplement to any class.

Netter's Atlas here

If you scroll down you can also see the items that it's frequently bought with...I also purchased the flash cards and the coloring book....when was the last time you could say as in an adult you have an excuse to color in a coloring book!?

If you can, get an aide position in a neuro rehab unit. This will give you incredible exposure to assessment/treatment/handling. There’s a lot of neuro patients who need more than one person to handle (e.g., two people and a hoist to move, three people to stand or walk). For this reason aides get a lot of hands on experience in neuro given the therapist will teach them how to safely assist with the transfers/assessment/treatments. It’s cheaper to have one therapist and one aide versus multiple therapists working on the one patient.

This is a very good pathology based textbook and this is very good for PT based intervention and assessment.

Born to Run is a great read about human performance reads like a novel. I'm making my way through The Story of the Human Body it's more an evolution perspective of the body and I have to say it is going slow but interesting.

This book is good for that:

Kinesiology: The Mechanics and Pathomechanics of Human Movement

And here is another good book for learning muscle testing techniques:

Muscles: Testing and Function, with Posture and Pain

https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-30th-Anniversary-Bob-Anderson/dp/0936070463/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527541680&sr=1-1&keywords=stretching+bob+anderson&dpID=51d16P6YQOL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519395395&sr=8-1&keywords=starting+strength

https://www.amazon.com/Therapeutic-Neuroscience-Education-Adriaan-Puentedura/dp/0985718641

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VERY readable book here. I read it during a break in classes as a student. Worth every penny and there are books along with this that can help explain pain. Also, check out the "Pain Reframed" podcast, good information there.

Is there anything specific you want to learn about? Weightlifting? Cardiovascular training? Injury prevention?