(This is part of a three-volume series: Volume 2 is Injury Diagnosis and Treatment, and Volume 3 is Protecting the Player)
Authors: Jonny Gordon, MBChB; and Anna Nordstrom, MD
Publisher: Thieme – 85 pages, with 66 illustrations
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani
This book presents advanced techniques on treatment and management of serious and life-threatening injuries to football players on the field. The contents of this first volume was developed as the course manual of the first workshop of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Football Doctor Education Program in Vienna in 2012
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) consists of the football teams of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, FYR Macedonia, Germany, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales.
The national team doctors who attended this workshop were highly appreciative of it, which was developed and run by Dr. Jonny Gordon as the trauma and medical emergencies expert. He wrote the first five chapters, whereas Dr. Anna Nordstrom developed chapter 6 following the head concussions at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
This book of just 85 pages consists of six chapters, with the main topics of each one presented below:
- First Steps: Framework for initial assessment, airway, the cervical spine, breathing, circulation, and disability.
- Cardiac Arrest and Choking: Cardiac arrest, and choking.
- Medical Emergencies: Anaphylaxis, asthma, seizures, and diabetic emergencies.
- Trauma Emergencies: Spinal injury, head and facial trauma, chest trauma, abdominal trauma, pelvic trauma, and limb trauma.
- General Management: Analgesia and anesthesia, wound management, and kit
- Head Injuries: Introduction, definitions, symptoms and signs of concussion, evaluation and management of concussion, and complications during recovery.
This book in essence is “a structured system of assessment that can be applied to any footballer regardless of the presenting condition,” which gives clinicians “the confidence to put this system into practice.” It goal is “to attain a generic standard to allow the best possible care to be provided to our players.”
Each chapter follows a systematic method of presentation of materials, with headings and subheadings of topics, ample illustrations such as photos, plus highlighted and paragraphs, and tables with important data. References for further study as also provided.
This is a compact, very practical, and highly useful manual for doctors to handle football injuries. One of its chief values is that it provides a structured and systematic method of evaluation and treatment.
Authors:
Jonny Gordon, MBChB, MSc., MFSEM, FRCEM, FRCP is Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the United Kingdom; and Team Doctor of the Scottish national football team.
Anna Nordstrom, MD, PhD is Specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine at Northern University Hospital, and Associate Professor in Sports Medicine at Umea University in Umea, Sweden.
