SPINE SECRETs is the latest in the "SECRETS" series of books and I would highly recomend it to anyone training in the spine field. I am a physician assistant and have worked in the spine field for over 5 years. During that time, I have worked with countless orthopedic residents who were doing their spine rotation and three different spine fellows. We all studied from the same materials and would have benefited greatly from this book.Our office had volumes of books about information that is succinctly covered in this book including, anatomy, clinical evaluation of patients with back problems, review of various imaging modalities of the spine and review of orthosis for the spine. The book also contains an extensive review of adult and pediatric deformities and disorders including idiopathic scoliosis and tumor.
I wouldn't consider this a surgery book. And if you are planning on performing spine surgery, I hope you are reading other texts as well, but this book has some impressive detail. Many chapters offer details and tips on surgical techniques with very nice illustrations. For those who see the patient in clinic before surgery or in the hospital postoperativly, there are chapters specifically addressing those issues.
One of the frustrating things about studying spine is where to start. This book gives you a good place to start. Like I said, it is succinct but it is comprehensive. If you are going to remember anything it is not a fast read, give it some time, it fits in your lab coat pocket!
