Management of Spinal and Extraspinal Disorders: A Clinical Reference for Differential Diagnosis

A comprehensive clinical reference covering differential diagnosis, orthopedic and neurological testing, and evidence-based decision pathways across the full spine and the major peripheral joints. Written for practicing chiropractors and manual medicine clinicians, this volume integrates region-by-region pathophysiology, epidemiology, and prognosis with a complete orthopedic and neurological test battery for every chapter.

Organized around the clinical process rather than anatomy alone, the book applies a consistent framework throughout: structured history-taking, examination findings interpreted in clusters rather than in isolation, continuous red-flag screening rather than a one-time intake gate, and reassessment treated as an ongoing part of clinical reasoning. Every regional chapter follows the same structure — condition-level pathophysiology, epidemiology, presentation, and prognosis; a full orthopedic and neurological test battery; a differential diagnosis; and explicit management considerations — so the reasoning transfers cleanly from one region to the next.

Inside this volume:

Foundations of spinal clinical assessment: clinical reasoning, orthopedic and neurological testing principles, imaging and referral guidelines
Regional spinal disorders: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacroiliac & pelvic, and coccygeal
Extraspinal disorders: shoulder, hip, knee, elbow/wrist/hand, and ankle/foot
Red flags and serious pathology, pediatric and geriatric considerations, post-surgical and chronic pain presentations
Integrated differential diagnosis algorithms by chief complaint, plus documentation and outcome measures
Full appendices: consolidated neurological reference charts, a complete orthopedic/neurological test index, and a glossary

This text does not cover manual technique, adjustment, or hands-on treatment — its scope is deliberately limited to diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making, on the premise that sound technique applied to the wrong diagnosis serves no patient well.

Published by PCC PRESS, the academic publishing imprint of PALMS School of Chiropractic, Osaka, Japan.