Margareta Nordin and Victor H. Frankel, editors. Illustrated
by Kajsa Forssen. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins;
2001. 450 pages. $49.95.
The third edition of this by-now-familiar basic text relies more
heavily on outside contributors than did past editions, providing
more extensive coverage and including more specific topics. The
chapters on basic biomechanics, by Nordin and Frankel, contain much
the same material as did the previous editions as well as information
on areas of new development. Thus, the reader has access to an historical
development of basic biomechanical concepts as an introduction to
more modern developments. The text treats all subjects in a nonmathematical
manner, even to the point of presenting graphical solutions for
joint-mechanics problems.
Nordin and Frankel have drawn heavily from the faculty of their
own hospital in selecting contributors. As with any multiauthored
work, the quality of the contributions varies, but all of the chapters
are good or excellent. The chapter on "Biomechanics of
Gait" is exceptionally well written, providing a superb,
compact introduction to gait analysis. The text covers a wide variety
of topics, some of which are unusual for a basic text; for example,
there is a chapter on "Biomechanics of Peripheral Nerves
and Spinal Nerve Roots" and another on "Engineering Approaches
to Standing, Sitting, and Lying."
Small proportions of the text are either out of date or removed
from the mainstream of current biomechanical thought (for example,
the chapter on "Biomechanics of Arthroplasty").
The chapter references, while not extensive, are generally well selected
and diverse.
Overall, this is both an excellent teaching text and a good reference
source for basic applied biomechanics. It will be a useful tool
for those teaching orthopaedic biomechanics to residents as well
as for those engaging in independent study.