Preface to the Fifth Edition

With the fifth edition of Joint Structure and Function, we maintain a tradition of excellence in education that began more than 25 years ago. We continue to respond to the dynamic environment of publishing, as well as to changes taking place in media, research technology, and in the education of individuals who assess human function. We include use of two- and four-color line drawings, enhanced instructor's tools, and new videos that all support and enhance the reader's experience.

Our contributors are chosen for their expertise in the areas of research, practice, and teaching—grounding their chapters in best and current evidence and in clinical relevance. Patient cases (in both "Patient Case" and "Patient Application" boxes) facilitate an understanding of the continuum between normal and impaired function, making use of emerging case-based and problem-based learning educational strategies. "Concept Cornerstones" and "Continuing Exploration" boxes provide the reader or the instructor additional flexibility in setting learning objectives.

What remains unchanged in this edition of Joint Structure and Function is our commitment to maintaining a text that provides a strong foundation in the principles that underlie an understanding of human structure and function while also being readable and as concise as possible. We hope that our years of experience in contributing to the education of health-care professionals allow us to strike a unique balance. We cannot fail to recognize the increased educational demands placed on many entry-level healthcare professionals and hope that the updates to the fifth edition help students meet that demand. However, Joint Structure and Function, while growing with its readers, continues to recognize that the new reader requires elementary and interlinked building blocks that lay a strong but flexible foundation to best support continued learning and growth in a complex and changing world.

We very much appreciate our opportunity to contribute to health care by assisting in the professional development of the students and practitioners who are our readers.