REVIEWS OF CLINICAL SPORTS MEDICINE

WA Medical Forum - December 2000 

Dr. Duncan Sullivan

The first edition of this largely Australian authored book will be well known to most who have studied or practiced Sports Medicine. Originally published in 1993, it sold over 20,000 copies. Most chapters have been extensively rewritten to incorporate new research findings into clinical practice - with seven new chapters the second edition will be a worthwhile upgrade for those who found the first edition useful.

The book is easy to read, well set out, with an extensive contents section that makes locating a topic easy. Some of the drawings are a bit ordinary, so if your anatomy is a bit shaky you may need to look elsewhere. The content of the many photos demonstrate imagine, assessment and treatment techniques well, but the reproduction is generally disappointing.

The book reflects its origins from a multidisciplinary clinic, with input from medicine, physiotherapy, massage, podiatry, sports dieticians and others. 

Unlike many of its American counterparts, it focuses very little on the surgical management of injuries, other than mentioning when it is appropriate. The non-surgical care of injuries is emphasized, including post-operative rehabilitation where appropriate.

Acupuncture, myofascial treatments, massage, spinal mobilization and other techniques are given due attention. The injury section is arranged in chapters reflecting injury site and type of presentation ie. acute versus gradual onset pain. Possible diagnoses are listed as common, less common, and not-to-be-missed, with plenty of cautionary tales.

Other sections deal with fundamental principles, enhancing sports performance, special groups of participants, general medical problems in athletes and practical care of teams or sports events. By trying to cover all these areas, it gives a good grounding for a generalist or pramedical practitioner, but many will feel they need to go deeper into a topic. Those needing more information are directed to useful lists of references and web sites.

This book "is written for the sports medicine clinician", and does the job very well. It is highly recommended for any GP who practices any type of musculoskeletal medicine. Those doing a lot of this should read cover to cover, for the occasional sports doctor it could act as a useful reference.

Orthapaedic surgeons would do well to read sections on treatment to comprehend what the sports doctors and physiotherapists in this country are doing. Other health professionals involved in sports medicine will also benefit from parts or all of this book. It is well priced compared to its largely orthopaedic competition.