Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 18, Number 1, 2008
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Fast Facts: Chronic Pain
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
M. S. Cepeda, M. J. Cousins, D. B. Carr, Oxford, U.K., Health Press LTD, 2007. Soft cover, 116 pages, ISBN 978-1-903734-87-2, $24.95.
This lovely little book is part of a series designed to give the general practitioner a quick overview of an essential disease or topic in medicine. It is well illustrated, written in easily digestible short chapters, and is well referenced for those who wish to dig deeper into subjects. Diseases covered include trigeminal neuralgia, complex regional pain syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, central pain, traumatic nerve injury, cancer pain, musculoskeletal pain, and visceral pain. The introductory chapters cover mechanisms, definitions, and assessment; the concluding chapters discuss the multidisciplinary approach and future trends. If every primary care practitioner mastered what was in this slim volume, patients with pain would suffer far less. The book deserves wide dissemination to our generalist colleagues.
Dr. Loeser is Professor of Neurological Surgery and Anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle.