Few books achieve the fond hopes of their authors and their admirers. This is justone that succeeds, making a genuine and profound contribution to the fields ofbiomechanics, orthopedics and rehabilitation. It moves with easy grace from anytopic to its neighbor, shedding warmth and life to them all.As one who has experienced both the high and low points of medical writing andediting over several decades, I see in these pages a true work of genius. Itdeserves a very wide readership and enthusiastic application of its lessons.John V. BasmajianProfessor Emeritus in Medicine, McMaster UniversityHamilton, Ontario, Canada