Informative and decent read on sports medicine

THERE are a whole range of things that could, potentially, put any of us off reading a particular book. The old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ comes to mind initially, but there are bundles more on top of that.

We might not like a particular writer’s style, we could dislike his or her political leanings or maybe the subject of the book is something we aren’t too interested in. However, there are a couple of different reasons that might see you shy away from ‘The Line - Where Medicine and Sport Collide’.

The first is the author, Dr. Richard Freeman, a name that has become sullied, rightly or wrongly, by his work with cycling’s ‘Team Sky’ and his connection, as their doctor, to questionable usage of TUE or Therapeutic Use Exemptions. For those not familiar with the story, it’s long, too long to summaries and still write a review of this book so a little Google will aid your knowledge.

Whatever view you take on Dr. Freeman and his accountability in the scandal, that doesn’t really make the content of the book any less interesting. What might make you do a double-take is the name of the person who writes the foreword for ‘The Line’.

Many of those picking up this publication will hope there is a second Sam

Allardyce, maybe someone involved in cycling who isn’t well known to the general sporting public. No such luck, the foreword for ‘The Line’ is written by the one and only ‘Big Sam’ (or any other variation you wish to use that’s potentially less PC).

Where do Allardyce and Freeman collide, at Bolton Wanderers, that’s where. The author’s big break in Sports Medicine came as the club doctor at the Lancashire club. The innovative Big Sam brought him on board while manager, a match made in heaven.

So, with those two negatives mushed together, it may come as a surprise to find out that this book is interesting fare. The publisher, going all out to promote it as something it’s not, tease a little with the title whereas the content is generally more enlightening than controversial.

For someone who doesn’t have a background knowledge in the area there are stories and examples of medical sporting scenarios that could be applied to any sport. For example, in the chapter entitled ‘Hidden Dangers’, Freeman talks about heart conditions and screening.

Interestingly he talks about there being no such thing as a fit person ‘fainting’ out of the blue while competing in sport. If someone collapses while competing in sport a serious event is taking place, it’s a get the defibrillator quick situation.

He also talks in depth about concussions. How, in the vast majority of concussions, the competitor isn’t knocked out but shows other signs of head trauma. For anyone who travels to club games, it’s an obvious problem that is only going to get bigger here.

Freeman also mixes in stories about his time Team Sky and British Cycling, he throws in antidotes about the athletes he has worked with and discusses how his usual day goes in three different settings.

It’s probably a good book for anyone with a passing interest in sports medicine or potentially anyone who is interested in going into that area as a career path.

The target audicence is stated as amateur cyclists, the type who might want to learn a bit about the perils of long-distance cycling. While ‘The Line’ deviates from the goal of informing that growing mass of people, it does enough to give them an informative and decent read.

Dean Goodison

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