This book provides prescribing advice for medical and non-medical prescribers caring for adult patients with common musculoskeletal problems. It will be particularly useful for non-medical practitioners, including independent physiotherapy and podiatry prescribers. Reference is made to current prescribing law and accountability, and the principles of safe prescribing are clearly defined. It gives practical prescribing advice for pain control, corticosteroids, osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, gout and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Basic information is provided on each drug, including the mechanism of action where known, evidence grading, dosage and contra-indications.

This revised edition incorporates the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathic pain and gout, with weblinks giving rapid access to the relevant online documents. For drugs under patent, there are weblinks to the relevant online Summary Product Characteristics (SPC). All references have been updated and a list of common proprietary names has been added. Finally, a new concluding chapter offers a range of clinical case histories so that the reader can consider salient prescribing issues. All these additions make this book a vital purchase for the many autonomous practitioners who need to be familiar with the evidence base, NICE guidance and rationale for prescribing for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.