Everyone old enough to read this review has at least at one
point in their life seen the inside of an emergency room due to an injury. The prevention of an injury is an intrinsic
human instinct; however given the competitiveness of sports one may find they go
against common sense in order to achieve grandeur in athletic recognition. Hence something breaks.
Dr. Michael J. DeFranco, an orthopedic surgeon and sports
team doctor has seen plenty of injuries and thus was motivated to bring to the coaches
and parents attention some common sense principles for accident preservation. His book begins with a summary of terms and
common problems by using many clearly drawn and labeled diagrams. Most of this we have learned over the years in
various ways, but humbly it is good to receive a fresh “once over.” The problems with either an incident, called
an “acute” injury, or overuse injuries, called “chronic” are explained and categorized in an easy to understand narrative along with numerous
illustrations.
Interestingly Dr. Michael DeFranco writes, “Young athletes are not smaller versions of
adult athletes and should not be trained in the same manner.” First he brings to attention the fact children
have many differences including a head to body proportion that naturally creates
imbalance. Also, due to their smaller
size, the protective gear may not fit properly. Most importantly though, children have open growth plates in key spots
within their skeleton, if damaged, may lead to the abnormal growth of bones and
chronic conditions. Finally children are
naturally lacking coordination during puberty and are more prone to
accidents. Personally, I cringe when
watching youngsters playing football, with equipment that is too large for
their frames and having the coaching staff and parents holler from the
sidelines to “hit harder.”
The book deals with good health, and in particular bone
health. Dr. DeFranco uses an acronym CPR, in this case standing for “Consume
calcium and vitamin D, Participate
in physical activity, and Recognize
risk factors for bone disease. Think CPR for strong bones.”
Dr. DeFranco further comments on the holistic issues of
injury avoidance with facts about healthy lifestyles. He identifies the necessity to have a
positive attitude and how to deal with an eventual injury if and when it
occurs. These “words of wisdom” come
from a man that knows what he’s talking about, as such his good advice should
be well received. In fact I believe this
book is an important document and should be given to each student athlete. It should be as common as a team
uniform. Parents and coaches need to pay
attention to the methods of avoiding accidents and injuries, because although
perhaps not lethal, the ramification of any accident due to ignorance during a
youth’s development is unconscionable. This
is an easy-to-read, fun book that will appeal to people of all ages and all
levels of physical activity.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
