Review
**Description**
This is a comprehensive overview of multiple general medical and orthopedic issues of the athlete. Helpful tables, diagrams, and other illustrations complement succinct, yet informative, text. This edition maintains the organized and user-friendly approach of the second edition published in 2001.
**Purpose**
Hoping to provide a "gold standard" review for a variety of sports medicine professionals, the authors systematically detail the breadth of sports medicine in one unified text. It is an excellent objective for a field so diverse and dynamic. The result is an incredibly versatile book readers will consult on many different sports medicine issues.
**Audience**
The authors have geared this book for a wide variety of health professionals and students linked to the field of sports medicine. The extensive array of topics covered certainly engages those in all specialties, including therapists, physicians, and athletic trainers. In particular, family physicians and others who serve as team physicians or who encounter athletes in their medical practice will appreciate the book's coverage of both musculoskeletal and general medical issues. The use of an internationally renowned cadre of authors helps this book serve as a global exchange of sports medicine knowledge.
**Features**
This book is best defined by its well organized approach to comprehensively covering a subject of many topics. Particularly well covered are biomechanics, Achilles region injuries, and a variety of general medical issues encountered in sports medicine, including headaches, pulmonary disease, and environmental conditions. The various tables, algorithms, and illustrations are well placed and appropriately support the text. The patient information sheets provided on the enclosed CD are a unique feature and come in handy for practicing clinicians. While the comprehensive nature of the book does limit the level of detail accorded each topic, readers will still find the overview an excellent source of reliable and practical information.
**Assessment**
Because this book is well organized, comprehensive in its breadth, and easy to use, it serves as a fundamental part of any sports medicine library. While other books in the field explore limited subjects in detail, this one provides a detailed, yet practical, review of a variety of subjects. It is an easy resource to access for the busy clinician or other professional seeking a review of nearly any topic in sports medicine. It also could be used as a textbook for general sports medicine courses at the collegiate level. The additional chapters in the third edition, helpful CD with patient information sheets, and updated information about a rapidly advancing field, distinguish this edition from the earlier ones.
Weighted Numerical Score: 91 - 4 Stars! (Doody's )
About the Author
Peter Brukner, OAM, MBBS, DRCOG, FACSP, FASMF, FACSM, is a sports physician and Associate Professor in Sports Medicine at the Centre for Health, Exercise, and Sports Medicine, University of Melbourne. He is the founding partner of the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre, a past president of the Australasian College of Sports Physicians, and an Olympic Team Physician.
Karim Khan, BMedSci, PhD, FACSP, FSMA, DipSportMed, FACSM, is Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice and School of Human Kinetics, and Associate Member, Departments of Physical Therapy and Orthopedics, University of British Columbia. He combines an active clinical sports medicine practice with a prolific research program related to tendinopathies, bone health, and exercise prescription for health.
