Peripheral Nerve Injuries in the Athlete

Book excerpt: A thorough understanding of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) is necessary for clinicians who manage the medical care of athletes and decide when an athlete may return to competition. This comprehensive, detailed text will help you identify PNIs in their earliest stages and prevent the complications that can develop when these injuries are not diagnosed and treated correctly. Peripheral Nerve Injuries in the Athlete, featuring contributions from leading sports medicine physicians, is aimed at teaching you the necessary skills for early recognition of neurological deficit as a result of sport injury. You'll gain an understanding of basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of neurologic injury and recovery; which PNIs are associated with what sport; and available diagnostic procedures, their limitations, and when they should be ordered. Peripheral Nerve Injuries in the Athlete is designed to show you how to accurately diagnose PNIs and how to understand the difference between movements inherent in sport activities and movements resulting from injury. Part I of the book includes six chapters devoted to the anatomy, etiology, and diagnosis of PNIs that can affect athletes (including "industrial athletes"); and part II focuses on the prevention and rehabilitation of PNIs. The text also provides information on -physiology of nerve injury; -regeneration and recovery; -the role of electrodiagnostics in diagnosis and treatment; and -the role of bracing, orthotics, and the biomechanical modifications in preventing injury and reinjury. Helpful case reports are included in part I to illustrate how you can apply what you'll learn to real-life situations. In addition, tables listing innervations of peripheral muscles and joints act as ready references in discerning which muscles and nerves should be addressed during rehabilitation. Peripheral Nerve Injuries in the Athlete is a comprehensive resource that will provide you with the necessary foundation for detection, diagnosis, management, and treatment of PNIs.