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The tenth edition of Essentials of Athletic Injury Management provides the reader with the most current information on the subject of prevention and basic care of sports injuries. The general philosophy of the text is that adverse effects of physical activity arising from participation in sport should be prevented to the greatest extent possible. However, the nature of participation in physical activity dictates that sooner or later injury may occur. In these situations, providing immediate and correct care can minimize the seriousness of an injury.
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Overall, this text is designed to take the beginning student from general to specific concepts. Each chapter focuses on promoting an understanding of the prevention and care of athletic injuries.
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Essentials of Athletic Injury Management is divided into four parts: Organizing and Establishing an Effective Athletic Health Care System, Preventing Injuries in an Athletic Health Care System, Techniques for Treating and Managing Sport-Related Injuries, and Recognition and Management of Specific Injuries and Conditions.
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prentice10_pt01, Organizing and Establishing an Effective Athletic Health Care System, begins in Chapter 1 with a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of all the individuals on the “sports medicine team” who in some way affect the delivery of health care to the athlete. Chapter 2 provides guidelines and recommendations for setting up a system for providing athletic health care in situations where an athletic trainer is not available to oversee that process. In today’s society, and in particular for anyone who is remotely involved with providing athletic heath care, the issue of legal responsibility and, perhaps more importantly, legal liability is of utmost concern. Chapter 3 discusses ways to minimize the chances of litigation and also to make certain that both the athlete and anyone who is in any way involved in providing athletic health care are protected by appropriate insurance coverage.
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prentice10_pt02, Preventing Injuries in an Athletic Health Care System, discusses a variety of topics that both individually and collectively can reduce the chances for injury to occur. Chapter 4 emphasizes the importance of making certain that the athlete is fit to prevent injuries. Chapter 5 discusses the importance of a healthy diet, giving attention to sound nutritional practices and providing sound advice on the use of dietary supplements. Chapter 6 provides guidelines for selecting and using protective equipment. Chapter 7 looks at ways to minimize the potentially negative threats of various environmental conditions on the health of the athlete.
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prentice10_pt03, Techniques for Treating and Managing Sport-Related Injuries, begins with Chapter 8, which details how to assess the severity of an injury and then provides specific steps that should be taken to handle emergency situations. Chapter 9 provides guidelines that can help reduce the chances of spreading infectious diseases by taking universal precautions in dealing with bloodborne pathogens. Chapter 10 discusses the more common wrapping and taping techniques that can be used to prevent new injuries from occurring and old ones from becoming worse. Chapter 11 includes a brief discussion of the general techniques that may be used in rehabilitation following injury. Chapter 12 discusses the psychology of preparing to compete and proposes recommendations for how a coach should manage an injury.
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prentice10_pt04, Recognition and Management of Specific Injuries and Conditions, begins with Chapter 13, which defines and classifies the various types of injuries that are most commonly seen in the physically active population.
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Chapters 14 through 22 discuss injuries that occur in specific regions of the body, including the foot; the ankle and lower leg; the knee; the hip, thigh, groin, and pelvis; the shoulder; the elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand; the spine; the thorax and abdomen; and the head, face, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Injuries are discussed individually in terms of their most common causes, the signs of injury you would expect to see, and a basic plan of care for that injury. Chapter 23 provides guidelines and suggestions for managing various illnesses and other health conditions that may affect athletes and their ability to play and compete. Chapter 24 focuses specifically on issues related to substance abuse and the potential effects on the athlete. Chapter 25 provides special considerations for injuries that may occur in young athletes.