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THE ACUPUNCTURE HANDBOOK OF SPORTS INJURIES & PAIN By Whitfield Reaves (with Chad Bong). Redwing Books, spiral-bound, 392 pages £55
This book presents a four-step approach to the treatment of sports injuries and pain with acupuncture. The four steps are: initial treatment strategies, meridians and micro-systems, internal organ imbalances and treating the site of injury. The aim is to present a 'treatment flow-chart' that covers all the main approaches to musculoskeletal conditions and that encourages the practitioner to think in a logical and systematic manner. On the whole, this aim is achieved admirably.
Considering the high volume of musculoskeletal conditions seen at an average acupuncture clinic, there are relatively few books that tackle the subject in detail. The main text recommended at my college was David Legge' s Close to the Bone, which covers more conditions than The Acupuncture Handbook, although Reaves' book goes into more specific detail on treating the conditions featured. Where Legge's book fists all the points in the shoulder region, for example, giving a useful overview of treating shoulder problems in general, Reaves hones in on the problems he is most experienced in treating, which makes for a more focused presentation. For example, on his website (www.TheAcupunctureHandbook.com) he admits that he does not specialise in cervical and lumbar pain; the section in the book on low back pain...