When you suffer a sport-related injury, you want help right away even if a doctor can’t be reached. It’s a time to figure out if it’s serious, just in case there’s a need for emergency assistance. In this way, “The Healthy Body Handbook” can truly be a lifesaver.

Saidoff and Apfel wrote chapters for every part of the body that might suffer pain as a result of a sports injury. In addition, it doesn’t require a Ph.D. to understand the writers’ explanations of the musculoskeletal system or the difference between soft and hard tissue injuries. Though this is a comprehensive resource guide detailing prevention and exercise-related treatments, it can also be used as a simplified anatomy book for fitness enthusiasts.

Every section has an ideal scenario that leads off the chapter, followed by a quick look at different situations that could lead to specific types of pain. So if your “back pain” doesn’t fit what they are describing, you can keep flipping pages to find another “back pain” situation.

Additionally, tests they describe in certain chapters can be a perfect way to determine whether or not a particular injury is what ails you. With “runner’s knee” Saidoff and Apfel let you know about the “ober test,” a procedural way to detect if your otibial band is tight. Furthermore, many of the tests described are replicas of what a doctor would perform to identify your injury.

Other than body part injuries, there are sections devoted to whole body ailments as well, including arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalagia. Though the body part injuries are more specific, these chapters provide a solid overview of conditions that contribute to certain types of pain.
Once you’ve finished deciphering sports injuries, there is a special chapter devoted to the different remedies for pain relief, including steroid injections and medications for chronic pain. And at the end of the guide, “Staying in Shape” serves as an excellent stepping stone for getting back into shape, with additional hints for exercising without overdoing it.

Whether you use “The Healthy Body Handbook” for cover-to-cover reading or simply as a reference, it’s a great book to have around. Because you never know when you’re going to need a trustworthy guide for treating a painful injury.