The field of sports medicine is growing in direct proportion to the increased demand for specialists to care for individuals participating in organized sports and other vigorous recreational activities. For those serving this increasingly active population, Micheli's Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine will be a welcome resource. While numerous textbooks and journals have been published in the field, not since the publication of Leonard A. Larson's now-classic Encyclopedia of Sport Sciences and Medicine (Macmillan, 1971) have readers had access to an authoritative encyclopedia of state-of-the-art research and descriptions of evidence-based applications for the field.

Students and practitioners in a wide variety of related areas—such as sports medicine and primary care physicians, orthopedists, athletic and team trainers, nurses, sports psychologists, nutritionists, podiatrists, physical therapists, surgeons and others—will find this handsome four-volume, 1,758 page set to be an excellent and authoritative “go-to” guide.

Entries are arranged in alphabetical order with narrative content presented in a very readable font and an attractive layout and design. Articles range in length of only a column to several or more pages for more extensive topics. Many entries include photographs, anatomical drawings, x-ray and MRI scan imagery, charts and tables. Users will find the hundreds of photographs illustrating step-by-step diagnostic and treatment techniques particularly helpful.

Introductory material includes an alphabetical list of 567 entries followed by a readers’ guide” that groups these entries into 16 major categories. These categories, which offer readers an idea of the scope and boundaries of coverage, include: Conditioning and Training; Diagnosis and Treatment of Sports Injuries; Diet and Nutrition; Doping and Performance Enhancement; Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, and Kinesiology; Injuries and Disorders; Injury Prevention; Medical Conditions Affecting Sports; Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy; Special Populations; Specialties and Occupations in Sports Medicine; Sport Psychology; Sports and Society; Sports and Sports Medicine; Sports-Specific Injuries; and, Women and Sports.

Four of the categories are further divided into subcategories. For example, for Injuries and Disorders, readers can refer to specific articles on: the Abdomen; Ankle; Back and Lumbar Spine; Cervical and Thoracic Spine; Chest Wall; Elbow and Forearm; Foot; Hand and Finger; Head and Neck; Hip, Pelvis, and Groin; Knee; Lower Leg; Shoulder; Skin; Thigh; Thorax; and, the Wrist.

The text is clearly written in an informative, engaging style that readers at all levels will appreciate and is supplemented by the extensive use of cross-references to other articles elsewhere in the set and an impressive, detailed 109 page cumulative index. Each entry is signed and typically includes a list of “see also” entries that may also be of interest along with suggestions for further readings.

Editor, Lyle J. Micheli brings impressive credentials. A former collegiate athlete, he is currently Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the Children's Hospital in Boston. In his practice he sees 170 to 200 patients per week and performs an average of 1,100 surgeries per year. Former President of the American College of Sports Medicine, he has written more than 250 articles and five previous books, including: The Sports Medicine Bible (1995) and The Sports Medicine Bible for Young Athletes (2001). Supporting his efforts are an advisory board of fifteen distinguished faculty and practitioners and 340 contributors that include noted experts from some of the most eminent hospitals and sport facilities in the world.

The Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine is highly recommended for medical, special and academic library collections serving the needs of students and practitioners of sports medicine.