Book Review

The Soft Tissues : Trauma and Sports Injuries

N Engl J Med 1994; 330:1691-1692June 9, 1994

Article

The Soft Tissues : Trauma and Sports Injuries
Edited by G.R. McLatchie and C.M.E. Lennox. 485 pp., illustrated. Boston, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1993. $89.95. ISBN: 0-7506-0170-1

This monograph on traumatic sports injuries to the soft tissues serves as a source for primary care physicians, in particular those who care for athletes at all levels. By narrowing their focus to the soft tissues, the authors avoid repetition of material on fractures, dislocations, and other orthopedic disorders, which are well covered in orthopedic textbooks.

To my knowledge, this is the first textbook to deal with soft-tissue trauma in sports. In this multiauthored book, experts address their topics with authority. General references and recommended readings at the end of the chapters provide important references without laborious annotation of text, as in a scientific paper.

The first part of the book covers general principles of managing soft-tissue injuries and reviews the anatomy, physiology of healing, and specific patterns of healing in muscle, skin, and joints. The second section deals with diagnostic methods and problems of clinical management. Chapters of special merit are those on the imaging of soft tissues, the effect of ultrasound on the biology of soft-tissue repair, eye injuries, and rehabilitation. The third section of the book contains eight sports-specific chapters, on such topics as injuries occurring in water sports, gymnastics, ballet and dance, horse riding, and team sports. They are comprehensive and clearly written by physicians who have considerable knowledge of the treatment of injuries in these sports.

This book is not intended to serve as a scientific review of soft-tissue physiology and injury, but rather to be a ready resource on the care of patients with soft-tissue injuries related to sports. I recommend it to any physician with an interest in the management of athletic injuries.

Lyle Micheli, M.D.
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115