Manual of Athletic Taping, 3rd ed.

Sports Medicine Council of British Columbia. Philadelphia, PA 19103, FA Davis Co, 1995, paperback, 120 pp, illus, $21.95.

This manual is designed to provide a comprehensive coverage of taping and wrapping techniques used in the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries. The book is intended for entry-level "sports therapy practitioners" and would also benefit sports physical therapy Students. The book is divided into nine chapters and is formatted as a quick reference manual; heavy bond dividers and tabs separate and identify each chapter.

Chapters 1 through 3 serve as an introduction and provide some basic information on evaluation and treatment procedures as well as general taping considerations. These three chapters are the weakest portion of the text, as they use an oversimplified format and language. They are appropriate, however, for the student population.

The best chapters in the book are chapters 4 through 9 "Ankle and Foot," "Wrist and Hand," "Muscle-Tendon," and "Resources and References." These chapters provide comprehensive coverage of the techniques used to wrap and tape these joint regions and provide alternative methods where appropriate. The chapter on resources and references provides an excellent reference list of texts and sports-medicine-related journals, appendixes on skeletal and muscular anatomy, and diagrams of the arterial and venous systems of the body.

The manual is well organized and illustrated throughout. Although the hand-drawn figures illustrating the taping techniques are adequate, there are instances, such as with the figures used in arch taping, when differentiation of the tape strips is lacking, and the entry-level practitioner may have difficulty following the illustrated procedures without guidance. Overall, the diagrams complement the text and help the reader to comprehend the material.

Although this taping manual does not add any new techniques to athletic taping and wrapping, it does provide an excellent singular reference for these techniques. For this reason, the manual is very appropriate for physical therapy students interested in sports medicine and for entry-level sports therapy practitioners.

Matt Sailors, PT, ATC University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD

Mr Sailors is Assistant Professor in the physical therapy program at the University of South Dakota, where he teaches courses in therapeutic modalities and spinal and extremity orthopedics. He has written articles on sports-medicine-related topics and currently serves as a consultant to area high school athletic teams.