Neurosurgical Care of Athletes

Book excerpt: This book provides a modern and up to date overview of the evaluation and management of sports-related neuro trauma. The primary target audience is the “sports neurosurgeon,” who can be found on the sidelines of collision sports at all levels of play from high school to professional, or who may care for these athletes in the acute setting in hospital or the outpatient clinics. The reach of this book, however, will also extend to professionals in other fields of medicine due to some topics that extend outside the typical neurosurgical specialty, ranging from chiropractic care in the evaluation and treatment of elite athletes to alternative medical therapies for concussion. The importance of the emerging “sports neurosurgeon” subspecialty is exemplified by the adoption of a policy by the National Football League to require an Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant on-field for player safety. This policy also speaks to the recent public awareness of the importance of recognizing and treating sports-related neuro trauma. This text aims to capitalize on this trend and become a multi-specialty reference to anyone interested in the field. Neurosurgical Care of Athletes serves as a comprehensive resource for physicians and researchers involved in sports-related neuro trauma. All chapters are prepared by experts in their fields and include the most up to date scientific and clinical information.