Netter’s Integrated Musculoskeletal System, 1st Edition

By: Peter J. Ward, PhD

ISBN: 9780323696616

Pub Date: August 20, 2021

Reviewed By:  Brian R. MacPherson, PhD (University of Kentucky College of Medicine)

Description

This is an integrated approach to the musculoskeletal system. Since most medical schools have moved to integrated curricula, it makes the book a unique product at the appropriate time in educational pedagogy. The neuroanatomy and embryology, as well as dysfunction, are all covered for this system. The website is integral with videos explaining concepts with simplified drawings and demonstrations – exceptional!

Purpose

The book is meant to present integrated coverage of the musculoskeletal system found in current medical school curricula but for which appropriate textbooks are scarce. The website has videos and other media sources that clarify difficult, as well as less difficult, concepts in the system. It is integral to the intended nature of this book: “Clinical Anatomy Explained.” Watching one of the videos will quickly help students lost by a substandard PowerPoint presentation to get immediately up to speed. A single, simplified illustration is worth 10,000 words and a clarifying video, showing movements, dysfunction, and clinical presentation – even more.  

Audience

The author states the book was clearly written for allied health students (medical, chiropractic, PA, PT). It could be a valuable resource for beginning residents and interns. The author has a long history of teaching osteopathic and allopathic medical students, making the presentation of the materials cross-indexed and supplementing what one group of students may have typically missed in their curriculum.

Features

Taking the regional approach of the musculocutaneous system seen in older curricula and devolving it into a series of chapters that look at the various components common to each muscle compartments is a unique approach that is valuable in an integrated curriculum. The histology, physiology, biochemistry, embryology, and role of the central and peripheral nervous systems are all rolled into this integrated approach with an invaluable clinical anatomy chapter for each region, as this is the way it will present in the clinic. The only downside is that large Netter diagrams (on which this book is based) can often become less useful when reduced in size, with all the leader lines common to these artistic renditions.

Assessment

There really are no, or extremely few, good integrated textbooks. Most schools do not recommend textbooks any more as integrated curricula defy taking a textbook from each area and clipping only the regions required. This is why PowerPoint notes now form the basis of medical education – the faculty members do the job of chunking out these sections – not always flowing from one lecture to another. This textbook does this smoothly as well as explains (as the title says) concepts using simplified diagrams/videos.  

©Doody’s Review Service, 2022, Brian R. MacPherson, PhD (University of Kentucky College of Medicine)

Doody’s Score: 4 Stars!

Purchase a new copy of Netter’s Integrated Musculoskeletal System, 1st Edition here!