What do you have in your post rehab library?

Do you have the essential post rehab resources and references in your library? There are a few essentials texts every post rehab professional must have in his or her library. There are so many fitness and rehab textbooks available but I will narrow the list to six essential textbooks and a couple of periodicals. Take a look at the list of PR library essentials and/or click on the link below to listen to my descriptions of these resources and the reasons I consider them the Post Rehab Library Essentials.

1. Gray's Anatomy - this is the gold standard in anatomy. This text is used to train physical therapy, chiropractic, nursing, medical and other allied health professional students around the world. I know many of you have other anatomy books but as I stated earlier, Gray's is the gold standard. Having a copy of Gray's in your library is a good purchase.

2. Merck Manual - the Merck Manual lists and reviews every medical condition known to mankind. Each condition is reviewed in detail with discussion covering etiology, signs and symptoms as well as treatment guidelines. This is a must when dealing with complicated post rehab clients.

3. Examination of the Spine and Extremities - this is another classic that every post rehab professional should have. This text is used in the orthopedic training of physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic and medical students. This is an easy to use text with great illustrations and diagrams. If you don't understand all the tests the physician or therapist performs on your client, get a copy of Hoppenfeld so you can understand. This text is a must for massage therapists, Pilates instructors, aquatic therapists as well as fitness professionals.

4. Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) - Though sometimes difficult to understand, the PDR lists all the medications known to man and their indications for usage. The biochemical action of the medication is outlined in the PDR but more importantly; the PDR lists side effects of these medications. The effect of these medications on exercise is your chief concern as a post rehab professional. This text should be updated no less than every two years.

5. PostRehabWorks - this is an interactive post rehab reference/resource with the 60 most common medical conditions encountered in a fitness setting reviewed. We provide post rehab exercise protocols, exercise flowcharts, post rehab assessment guidelines and more than 220 video clips of exercises, muscle and range of motion testing procedures as well as post rehab administrative forms. This is the most comprehensive post rehab resource available. If you are digging through physical therapy or chiropracitc textbooks trying to figure out what to do with your post rehab client, try PostRehabWorks. It takes the guesswork out of post rehab program design.

6. Post Rehab Exercise Protocols (PREPS) - PREPS is a simple use manual containing 62 post rehab exercise protocols for the most common medical conditions found in a fitness setting. These protocols are based on clinical observation with 1989 patients in a physical therapy/sportsmedicine clinical setting over a three-year period. These protocols are used by Medical Exercise Specialists, Post Rehab Conditioning Specialists, physical therapy and chiropractic clinics and fitness facilities around the world. These protocols provide step-by-step post rehab guidelines.

7. Journals/Periodicals - I highly recommend the "Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy" (JOSPT) for post rehab professionals and sports conditioning specialists. This journal is geared toward physical therapist but you will find some of the articles useful in post rehab program design. The other journal I would recommend for those "hard core" fitness professionals with an interest in human performance research, the European Journal of Applied Physiology (EJAP). I have found research topics in this journal I could not find everywhere else. Such topics as advanced muscle physiology and muscle function are regularly reviewed inn EJAP.

Click on the link below to download the MP3 file and listen to my discussion of each of these resources and my reasoning as to why they are on our "Post Rehab Library Essentials" list. Go to www.postrehablibrary.com for information on where to buy these resources.

Post Rehab Library Essentials MP3