Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 10, Number 4, July/August 2000
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Introduction to Neuropathic Pain Assessment and Examination
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
M.M. Backonja, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1998, 40 minutes, $95 (VHS video), ISBN 0-8493-1645-6
This is a 40-minute video that presents Dr. Backonja’s views on the explanation for, terms used to describe, and examination of patients with neuropathic pain. It begins with a reference to the Gate Control Theory, but does not go into any of the mechanistic theories for neuropathic pain. It contains the highlights of the clinical examination of 3 patients with neuropathic pain and does a good job illustrating their sensory abnormalities. Dr. Backonja effectively conveys the importance of a careful examination for every patient who complains of chronic pain. The content is good, but the style of presentation is too pedantic and not well adapted to the video medium. Too much screen time is devoted to titles with voice-over narration; there is too much redundancy. However, selecting highlights from this video and using them in an educational program about neuropathic pain could be quite useful, for one does not always have patients available to show one’s students. This video could be a useful addition to a clinic’s educational resources, although its price is quite high.