DESCRIPTION
This is an entry-level text for the sports medicine practitioner to use to become acquainted with basic clinical and practical understanding of injuries and their rehabilitation in soccer and rugby. It contains basic information and case studies. The author attempts to combine basic first aid and rehabilitation techniques to educate the reader on what to expect in sports medicine trauma. His approach and purpose is to enlighten the uninformed. However, he struggles to meet his objective because of his lack of understanding of current entry level professionals"" educational backgrounds (i.e., certified athletic trainers, athletic therapists, etc.). The intended audience is the entry-level practitioner working primarily with soccer and rugby. The author introduces common injury problems with these sports and guides the reader through proven rehabilitation of those injuries. He is credible to the extent of his experiences, which helps with the case studies, and these are presented to help the reader understand the common medical trauma of collision sports. The makeup of the sports medicine team is covered, as well as first aid and injury recognition and rehabilitation for soccer and rugby. The strength of the book is in the author""s background in physical therapy and active rehabilitation. Good illustrations, reference guidelines in the margin, and functional drills in tables help the reader understand the criteria used to return athletes to play. Shortcomings of the text are in the use of outdated references (only the early 1990""s), particularly with the management of closed head injuries. This book is limited in the scope of athletic trauma. Collision sports, such as American football, icehockey, and lacrosse are not mentioned. The focus on soccer and rugby is based on the author""s personal experiences. References to current literature, especially to sports trauma, are lacking. Compared to other entry-level texts such as Booher""s Athletic Injury Assessment, 4th edition (McGraw Hill 1999), this book is outdated and incomplete.
