Reviewer: Jake E Resch, Ph.D.(University of Texas Arlington)
Description: This book provides an introduction to physical activity and addresses prevention, management, and rehabilitation of sport-related injuries for the lay public. The previous edition of this book was published in 1996.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide those who participate in physical activity a means of self-diagnosis and a resource to assist them with recovery from injury. A book such as this is needed, but this one suffers from inconsistent depth of information. In some areas, the information is too general, while in others, it is too detailed. For example, on page 50, head and neck stabilization is described conservatively. However, in areas dealing with self-diagnosis, esoteric medical terms are used to describe common medical conditions. Considering the intended readership, this book may mislead or provide false confidence in assessing or rehabilitating from a sport-related injury.
Audience: It is intended for the lay public 18 years old and above who participate in physical activity. Students entering the health field could also use it.
Features: The concept behind the book is its best aspect. A reference is needed for those who sustain an injury during physical activity and are unsure whether or not to pursue medical care, especially in these economic times. The general illustrations may be appealing to the intended audience. They are simply drawn any may be useful to demonstrate concepts. The shortcomings include the inconsistency of the depth of the content, inadequate illustrations for injuries, and lack of evidence to support information. Some of the illustrations are appropriate, such as the ones for stretching, while others need to be more detailed or, at a minimum, include a photograph of the injury. Finally, no references are included. Given that the field of medicine, especially in the areas of prevention, management, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries, is becoming more evidence-based, this book should include the evidence to support any recommendations or claims.
Assessment: This type of information should be available for consumers and the topics are relevant and timely. Unfortunately, this book needs to be more cohesive and not treat some matters, such as c-spine injuries, too lightly while going into great detail on modalities used during the rehabilitation process without explanation (i.e. short-wave diathermy). Injuries of this magnitude deserve explicit instruction and training to manage. Overall, this book would be great with revisions, but I could not recommend it as is.