Assisting clinicians in managing musculoskeletal conditions

Sport injuries: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation; 4th edition. Peterson L, Renström P. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group; 2016 ($126.00; 620 pp). ISBN 9781841847054

Sports injuries are a common clinical presentation to general practice and yet most medical degrees have very limited training in the area of musculoskeletal conditions. The 4th edition of Sports injuries: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation provides a comprehensive, up to date resource for general practitioners to assist in the diagnosis and management of these conditions. Excellent illustrations in the form of clinical photos and anatomical diagrams greatly assist clinicians in recalling long lost undergraduate anatomy.

Lars Peterson and Per Renström are world renowned Swedish sports medicine clinicians and researchers, and their previous three editions of Sport injuries: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation have provided, since 1977, the “go to” guide for sports physician trainees and physiotherapists worldwide. The 2nd edition of the book (along with Clinical sports medicine by Brukner and Khan) saved me on many occasions in my early days of sports medicine — while seeing a patient, I would briefly excuse myself from the consulting room to check on a few anatomical or diagnostic details before returning to confidently articulate my diagnosis or treatment plan.

This edition follows a similar format to the previous one published 17 years ago, but the management advice has been updated and there are more illustrations. While the 4th edition contains more evidence-based management information, it is still lacking in many areas, with corticosteroid injections featuring as the prescribed treatment for many of the musculoskeletal conditions covered. This lack of information may just reflect the limited evidence for many currently used treatment strategies in sports medicine.

The book reflects the authors’ orthopaedic background, although the information on conservative rehabilitation strategies has increased since the previous edition. There is also an emphasis on a number of Northern Hemisphere winter sports, such as ice hockey, which have limited relevance in this country.

Sport injuries: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation was written for an audience extending from athletes and coaches to physiotherapists and doctors. One of the main problems of having such a broad audience, however, is that the book loses its specificity to any one group. Nevertheless, it remains an excellent resource for medical students, GPs and trainees embarking on a career in sports medicine.