Book: Football Medicine
2004; BMJ; Volume: 328; Issue: 7452 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0959-8138
Autores Tópico(s)Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
ResumoI did not need a second invitation to review a book entitled Football Medicine, two subjects dear to my heart—although my more cynical colleagues would no doubt say the former more than the latter. Aptly for a book of largely Swedish origin, and at the end of a historic unbeaten season for the mighty Gunners, their very own Freddie Ljungberg is in full flow on the front cover, although on a decidedly subdued hair day. The book's line up is impressive: forewords by Lennart Johansson, the president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, and the one and only Sven-Goran Eriksson; and an extensive list of premier-ship quality contributors, including our own Alan Hodson, who should need no introduction to anyone interested enough to pick up a copy, and another adopted Swede, Leif Sward, our national team's doctor.doctor. Figure 1 Eds Jan Ekstrand, Jon Karlsson, Alan Hodson Taylor & Francis, £60, pp 562 ISBN 1 84184 164 1 Rating: ★★★ The authors have valiantly attempted to cover a range of important topics in a clear and readable manner, but much of it is simplistic, to the extent that I was left wondering exactly who the book is aimed at. The title would seem to target the medical profession, but even those, like myself, who consider themselves first and foremost general practitioners, with their football medicine (with or without club attachment) as a special interest, will find much of it frustrating, in that it whets the appetite but leaves you unsatisfied. This is particularly true of the 180 pages on sports injuries. The bonus is the sheer array of topics, including injury prevention (with some interesting statistics), post-injury rehabilitation and testing, biomechanics, physiology, nutrition, foreign travel, and even, at the end (against naval etiquette), women and children. Whether something has been lost in translation I am not sure, but although it's a stress free read the overall pace and tone are decidedly Sven: informative, polite, and charming, but dry to the point of monotone, with scarcely a word wasted in anger. It's almost a caricature of your average Briton's perception of your average Swede. Should doctors without a special interest buy this book? I don't know. As an introductory text it is certainly suited to professionals wishing to familiarise themselves with the essentials of the subject. Would non-medically trained people benefit? Only if they have a passing interest and wish to know more. Anyone who has trained or is training in physiotherapy, nutrition, or sports science and so on would need more specialised information. As with wine and golf I enjoy everything I read on the subject, and this book was no exception. It whiled away many a journey and many a hotel stay and provided relief from the interminable chewing of nails entailed in the relentless quest for premier-ship safety points. Well, Freddie, we're coming to do it all again—but will you get another standing ovation next season?
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