OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL THERAPY OF THE CERVICAL SPINE

Every day, manual therapists place their hands on a patient's neck. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it's safe. But there is a rare risk — arterial dissection, stroke — that academic training condenses into half a page and social media turns into spectacle or panic. This book fills that gap. João Martins, an osteopath with over 18 years of clinical practice and FIFA training in sports medicine, brings together what he wishes he'd had at the start of his career: straightforward vascular anatomy, rigorously reviewed scientific evidence, and ready-to-use tools — screening checklists, warning signs, contraindications, protocols by vertebral segment, and informed consent templates. This isn't a book that says "never manipulate the neck." It teaches how to do it with the knowledge that separates informed caution from fear. Over 30 chapters and appendices: from scientific debate to step-by-step guides, self-assessment, subject index, and final exam. For osteopaths, chiropractors, and physiotherapists: honest about what science doesn't know, definitive about what it does.