F YOU or a member of your family participates in a sport, or in almost

any type of physical activity, you have probably asked some of the

following questions yourself or made similar statements.

"Do I need to see a doctor for this injury?"

"Should we go to the emergency room now, or can we wait until

tomorrow?"

"If only there were some way to read about this problem, doctor,

I wouldn t have bothered coming to your office."

"If only I hadn t ignored this! I didn t realize it was that serious!"

"Is this sport safe?"

"Should I get a second opinion?"

"The coach says not to worry. It s minor!"

"1 heard the guys talking about carbohydrate loading, and I was

wondering..."

These problems have become so common because we are in the

middle of a sports explosion, and all of us will probably become

casualties at one time or another. My office is often filled with in-

dividuals whose aches and pains are the result of skiing, running,

hitting a ball, or some other sporting endeavor. Many of these people

need my attention, others don t, and some could have prevented their

injuries, or at least kept them from becoming worse, had they known

what to do.