"Give it a try, maybe it will work" or a "trial and error" approach are not options for starting training after muscle injury. This publication demonstrates how critical early and consistent sports medicine care is to the healing process. The history, symptoms, palpation of muscle injuries, functional testing, and identification of the cause are all critical to initiating the right treatment steps at the earliest possible time. Under no circumstances should the control of the increase in load be based on complaints, since the pain already subsides before the healing process is complete. Loading too early correlates with a significantly increased risk of injury.

Accounting for the majority of sports-related disorders, injuries of the skeletal muscles have been difficult to define, classify, and treat because of their heterogeneity and frequency of hard-to-assess borderline cases. Now, for the first time, readers will find full coverage of muscle anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, imaging, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention in one comprehensive volume, including a new terminology and classification system based on the groundbreaking 2011 Munich consensus conference of international sports medicine experts. Special Features: Written by top international sports medicine physicians who have more than 35 years of experience treating competitive athletes, including the German national soccer team Gathers all the literature on sports-related muscle injuries in one complete, time-saving text that sets a new standard in the field Emphasizes practice-oriented content with a strong scientific foundation and basic principles along with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment methods Describes a uniform terminology and classification methodology that differentiates between functional muscle disorders and structural injuries, with key indications based on type of injury and duration of therapy Shares dozens of case studies that point out pitfalls, complications, and high-risk situations Provides more than 500 vivid, full-color illustrations and photographs, including detailed anatomic diagrams and tables At a time when sports-related muscle injuries have increasingly become the focus of research and clinical studies, especially due to their impact on player absence and injury recurrence, this book makes an enormous contribution to the field. It is essential reading for all sports medicine physicians, residents and fellows, physical therapists, coaches, and other practitioners involved in caring for athletes.