BritJ.Sports
Med.
-
Vol.
21,
No.
4,
December
1987,
pp.
154-157
BODY
COMPOSITION
AND
PHYSIOLOGICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
OF
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS
D.
L.
SPITLER,
PhD,
FACSM,
G.
JONES,
MS,
J.
HAWKINS,
EdD*
and
L.
DUDKA,
PhDt
School
of
HPERD,
University
of
North
Carolina
at
Greensboro,
Department
of
Sport
Studies,
Guildford
College,
Greensboro
and
tDepartment
of
Physical
Education,
North
Carolina
A
&
T
State
University,
Greensboro,
NC
ABSTRACT
The
physical
work
capacity,
body
composition,
and
physiological
characteristics
of
12
law
enforcement
officers
(9
males,
3
females)
were
measured.
Subjects
included
a
representative
sample
from
the
occupational
categories
of
detective,
staff,
investigative
and
patrol
officer.
Mean
maximal
oxygen
uptake
of
the
men
was
42.1
±
8.9
ml.kg-lmin-1
with
mean
values
of
41.5
±
8.7
ml.kg-1min-1
for
the
women.
Measurement
of
body
composition
indicated
an
average
of
24.4
±
7.1%
body
fat
for
the
men
and
30.9
±
1.2%
for
the
women.
Muscular
power,
strength,
and
endurance
as
measured
by
isolated
limb
flexion-
extension
movement
and
fitness
test
performance
was
considered
average
with
no
excessive
bilateral
differences.
The
results
of
this
study
were
compared
with
other
investigations
of
law
enforcement
officers
of
similar
age
groups.
The
officers
displayed
average
or
above
health
and
physical
fitness
scores
for
their
age
classification
and
were
able
to
complete
all
police
task-oriented
tests.
Key
words:
Maximal
oxygen
uptake,
Cybex,
Physical
fitness,
Police
officers
INTRODUCTION
The
current
popular
health
and
physical
fitness
interest
has
been
incorporated
into
the
law
enforcement
field
with
the
recent
adoption
of
various
fitness
testing
programmes
for
officers.
Most
of
the
health
and
fitness
programmes
appear
to
have
been
initiated
on
the
basis
of
subjective
opinion
of
departments
who
have
a
genuine
desire
to
reduce
costs
of
health
care,
improve
general
health,
reduce
absenteeism,
increase
productivity
and
improve
employee
work
attitude
and
job
satisfaction
(Bjurstome
and
Alexiou,
1978).
Lack
of
knowledge
of
what
constitutes
a
healthy,
effective
officer
and
time
or
financial
constraints
often
restrict
these
programmes
to
simple
tests
of
fitness
which
may
or
may
not
reflect
the
health
or
job
performance
capability
of
the
individual
officer.
Before
instituting
a
programme
of
Total
Wellness
which
was
to
include
both
health
status
and
performance
evaluation,
the
Greensboro
Police
Department,
NC,
conducted
a
pilot
test
programme
to
provide
information
on
a
representative
sample
of
officers.
The
present
study
describes
the
physical
and
physiological
characteristics
of
law
enforcement
officers.
METHODS
Twelve
officers
(3
females,
9
males)
of
the
Greensboro
Police
Department,
Greensboro,
NC
volunteered
to
participate
in
the
study.
Mean
age
(±
SD)
of
the
subjects
was
32.4
±
4.7
years
with
mean
height
179.5
±
8.9
cm
(men
and
164.5
±
2.3
cm
(women)
while
mean
weight
was
84.4
±
12.4
kg
(men)
and
60.8
±
2.9
kg
(women).
A
fair
representation
of
the
various
duties
and
job
classifications
of
the
department
was
an
important
factor
in
recruitment
of
subjects.
Medical
history
review
and
examination
were
completed
and
informed
consents
obtained
prior
to
the
study.
The
subjects
participated
in
several
test
sessions
at
five
test
sites
in
which
tests
in
the
following
areas
were
conducted:
Medically-Oriented
Health
and
Physical
Fitness
Tests,
Standard
Physical
Fitness
Tests
and
Police
Task-
Oriented
Performance
Tests.
Address
for
correspondence:
Dr.
D.
L.
Spitler
School
of
Health,
Physical
Education,
Recreation
and
Dance
Department
of
Physical
Education
The
University
of
North
Carolina
Greensboro
North
Carolina
27412-5001
Medically-Oriented
Health
and
Physical
Fitness
Tests
Body
composition
was
assessed
by
body
density
(Brozek
et
al,
1963)
and
skinfold
(triceps,
subscapular,
suprailiac,
abdominal,
thigh)
techniques.
A
12-lead
electrocardiogram
(ECG)
and
blood
pressure
were
obtained
after
10
minutes
of
supine
rest.
Standard
pulmonary
function
evaluation
consisted
of
forced
vital
capacity,
forced
expiratory
volume
in
1
second,
and
maximum
voluntary
ventilation.
Coronary
heart
disease
risk
factors,
dietary
food
habits,
smoking
habits,
alcohol
drinking
habits,
exercise
habits,
perceived
stress,
Type
A
Behaviour
tendency
(Falls
et
al,
1980)
and
self-esteem
(Jaeger,
1985)
were
evaluated
by
questionnaires.
Sensory
integrity
was
evaluated
by
standard
tests
for
reaction/movement
time
(hand-eye),
kinesthetic
recall
(arm
movement),
peripheral
visual
range,
and
bone
and
air
conduction
hearing
of
a
single
tone.
Fasting
venous
blood
samples
were
analysed
for
glucose,
total
cholesterol,
creatine
phosphokinase,
lactate
dehydrogenase,
serum
glutamate
pyruvate,
haematocrit,
haemoglobin
and
complete
blood
count.
Maximal
oxygen
uptake
(N°2
max)
was
evaluated
by
a
graded
Bruce
treadmill
stress
test
to
voluntary
maximal
exertion
with
continual
monitoring
of
3-lead
ECG
and
collection
of
expired
gases
for
calculation
of
ventilation,
oxygen
uptake
and
carbon
dioxide
production
(Douglas
Bag
Method).
Muscular
power,
strength,
and
endurance
were
assessed
by
standard
Cybex
11
techniques
for
knee
and
shoulder
flexion
and
extension.
Strength
was
determined
as
maximum
torque
generated,
power
as
maximum
torque
over
a
0.25
period
and
endurance
as
percentage
decrement
in
torque
15
s
after
attainment
of
peak
torque
at
each
standard
movement
speed.
Standard
Physical
Fitness
Tests
Predicted
maximal
oxygen
uptake
was
estimated
using
a
cycle
ergometer
test
with
continual
monitoring
of
a
3-lead
ECG,
the
3
Mile
Walk
and
Cooper's
12-Minute
Walk-Run
Test.
Speed
was
tested
by
the
50
yard
dash
and
flexibility
was
evaluated
with
sit
and
reach
back
flexion.
Muscular
strength
was
measured
with
a
grip
strength
dynamometer
and
a
one
repetition
maximum
(1
RM)
bench
press.
Muscular
endurance
was
evaluated
with
push-ups
(maximum),
chin-ups
(maximum)
and
sit-ups
(1
minute).
Agility
was
measured
with
a
dodging
run
(Gates
and
Sheffield,
1940)
and
muscular
power
by
the
vertical
jump.
Police
Task-Oriented
Tests
These
tests
consisted
of
timed
performance
tests
from
the
154
155
State
of
North
Carolina
Law
Enforcement
Guidelines
(NC
Justice
Academy,
1985)
and
consisted
of
a
550
yard
run,
victim
carry,
window
climb,
6
foot
wall
scale,
long
jump,
40
foot
culvert
crawl
and
uneven
balan9e
beam
walk.
In
addition,
a
timed
165
yard
obstacle
course
(Ellis
et
al,
1985)
was
completed.
RESULTS
Resting
heart
rates
(72
±
12
beat.min-1)
and
blood
pressures
(128/86
±
12/6
mm
Hg)
were
within
normal
limits
as
were
blood
chemistries,
cardiovascular
heart
disease
risk
profiles
and
pulmonary
function
measurements.
Per
cent
body
fat,
as
calculated
from
body
density,
averaged
24.4
±
7.1%
for
the
men
and
30.9
±
1.2%
for
the
women.
Fat
free
weight
was
calculated
at
63.1
±
6.7
kg
and
41.9
±
2.7
kg
for
the
men
and
women,
respectively.
Sum
of
5
skinfolds
measured
77.3
±
26.2
mm
(men)
and
81.3
±
25.7
mm
(women)
with
calculated
per
cent
fat
at
15.9
±
4.9%
(men)
and
19.1
±
5.8%
(women).
Nutrition
was
evaluated
by
food
intake
frequency
and
fat
food
intake
was
considered
low
to
average
as
were
alcohol
consumption
and
exercise
habits.
Only
one
officer
smoked.
The
police
officers
tended
to
demonstrate
Type
B
personality
behaviour
tendencies
with
normal
self-esteem
ratings.
Mean
sensory
integrity
measurements
(reaction
time,
movement
time,
kinesthetic
recall,
vision
and
hearing)
were
also
considered
within
normal
limits.
Directly
determined
mean
maximal
oxygen
uptake
was
42.1
±
8.9
ml.kg-1min-1
for
the
men
and
41.5
±
8.7
ml.kg-1min-1
for
the
women.
Muscular
power,
strength,
and
endurance
(Cybex
technique)
means
are
presented
in
Table
1.
No
major
differences
were
seen
as
a
group
in
bilateral
or
in
flexion/
extension
ratio
comparisons.
All
performance
data
is
presented
as
total
means
with
the
three
women's
data
included.
Mean
standard
fitness
test
data
are
presented
by
fitness
component
in
Table
II.
Bench
press
1
RM
produced
TABLE
I
Muscular
power,
strength
and
endurance
by
Cybex
Technique.
Mean
±
SD
Right
Left
Flexion
Extension
Ratio
Flexion
Extension
Ratio
Power
Watts Watts
%
Watts
Watts
%
Shoulder
144.4
275.2
52.5 143.7
254.2
56.5
61.5
68.5 77.3
104.4
Knee
347.5
523.5
66.4
308.5
463.5
66.6
100.5 177.0
103.0 179.0
Strength
Newton
Meters
%
Newton
Meters
%
Shoulder
29.9
44.2
67.6
28.4
42.4
67.0
6.4
11.7
8.7
14.4
Knee
65.2
106.8
61.0 60.4
109.8
55.0
19.5
28.5
16.8
39.0
Endurance
%
strength
%
strength
%
strength
%
strength
at
15
rep
at
15
rep
at
15
rep
at
15
rep
Shoulder
64.5
67.2
53.0
63.5
18.9
16.9
20.9
17.1
Knee
65.4
62.6
70.5
66.3
14.9
12.1
25.0
17.6
great
individual
variation
with
a
mean
of
64.3
±
28.9
kg.
Sit
and
reach
measurements
averaged
45.0
±
6.1
cm
or
6.9
cm
beyond
the
feet.
In
addition,
mean
distance
for
the
12-
minute
walk/run
was
2.1
±
0.3
km
and
mean
time
for
the
3
mile
walk
(4.8
km)
was
45.1
±
6.9
minutes.
TABLE
II
Selected
standard
physical
fitness
test
items.
Mean
±
SD
Muscle
Strength
Endurance
Power
Agility
Speed
Flexibility
Bench
Grip
Push
Chin
Press
Sit
Vertical
Agility
50
Yard
Flexibility
Str.
Ups
Ups
1
RM
Ups
Jump
Run
Dash
Back
kg
kg
cm
sec
sec
cm
24.1
27.2
5.0
64.3
31.8
42.4
8.1
7.3
45.0
6.1
13.5
4.1
28.9
7.2
9.7
0.6
0.5
6.1
TABLE
IlIl
Police
task-related
performance
selected
items.
Mean
±
SD
Uneven
165
Yard
6
Foot
Running
40
Foot
Balance
550
Yard
Obstacle
Victim
Window
Wall
Long
Culvert
Beam
Run
Run
Carry
Climb
Scale
Jump
Crawl
Walk
min
sec
sec
sec
sec
m
sec
sec
2.2
41.8
14.2
3.1
4.8
3.1
13.2
4.5
0.4
4.6
6.8
0.8
2.5
0.5
4.7
0.9
Mean
times
of
completion
for
each
police
task-oriented
test
are
presented
in
Table
Ill.
All
subjects
were
able
to
complete
the
tasks
although
some
required
a
longer
time
period
or
several
attempts
to
master
the
technique.
DISCUSSION
Comprehensive
and
mandatory
physical
fitness
programmes
are
becoming
increasingly
common
in
the
law
enforcement
setting.
Most
of
these
make
the
assumption
that
an
officer
who
is
in
shape
will
be
able
to
respond
to
occupational
demands
without
undue
probability
of
injury,
illness,
or
death.
In
addition,
an
assumption
is
made
in
the
law
enforcement
field
in
that
a
police
officer
is
supposed
to
be
well
above
average
in
all
physical
attributes:
bigger,
stronger,
quicker,
more
healthy
than
the
average
person.
However,
the
officers
in
the
present
study
could
be
best
described
as
typical,
average
individuals.
Comparison
with
published
norms
from
other
police
departments
or
agencies
showed
that
the
subjects
in
this
study
were
representative
of
law
enforcement
personnel.
The
mean
age
was
32.4
±
4.7
years
which
was
similar
to
the
mean
of
35-39
years
reported
in
an
investigation
sampling
10%
of
the
entire
Pennsylvania
State
Police
Agency
(Fraser,
1986).
Basic
Health
Status
A
pre-requisite
in
maintaining
a
positive
health
status
is
weight
control,
or
more
correctly
body
composition
balance.
Percentage
body
fat
values
were
similar
to
published
values
of
16.1-25.4%
for
officers
aged
30-39
years
(Davis
and
Stark,
1980;
Fraser,
1986;
Stamford
et
al,
1977;
NC
Justice
Academy,
1985;
Kuntz,
1986;
NC
Alcohol
Law
Enforcement
Division,
1986).
Most
of
the
values
reported
in
156
this
literature
for
per
cent
body
fat
were
estimated
from
measures
of
skinfold
thicknesses.
Both
the
body
density
and
the
skinfold
measurement
techniques
were
utilised
in
the
present
study.
There
was
a
striking
difference
in
the
results
of
the
two
techniques
with
the
values
estimated
from
skinfolds
extremely
low
for
age
group
comparison.
Cardiopulmonary
Status
Another
basic
concept
for
health
is
a
stable
resting
cardiovascular
status
which
is
usually
addressed
by
evaluation
of
a
12-lead
ECG
and
blood
pressure.
The
mean
resting
heart
and
blood
pressure
for
the
officers
in
the
present
study,
as
previously
stated,
were
all
within
normal
adult
limits
and
within
the
limits
of
published
law
enforcement
norms
(Fraser,
1986;
NC
Justice
Academy,
1985).
ECG
analysis
has
traditionally
been
recognised
as
an
effective
tool
for
evaluation
of
health
status.
However,
published
information
(SC
Criminal
Justice
Academy,
1986)
is
somewhat
limited,
probably
due
to
the
costs
of
such
tests.
As
high
blood
pressure
has
been
associated
with
increased
risk
of
cardiovascular
heart
disease,
its
measurement
has
been
recognised
as
a
major
factor
in
medical
screening
processes
either
for
employment
requirements
or
yearly
fitness
testing
at
law
enforcement
agencies
(Ellis
and
Bailey,
1984;
Ellis
et
al,
1985;
Gayle,
1978;
SC
Criminal
Justice
Academy,
1986).
The
evaluation
of
stress
test
ECG
data
(SC
Criminal
Justice
Academy,
1986;
Gayle,
1978;
Mostardi
et
al,
1986)
and
direct
measurement
of
maximal
oxygen
uptake
is
also
rare
in
the
law
enforcement
field.
Mean
V02
max
measured
in
the
present
study
compared
favourably
with
the
36.6-40.1
ml.kg-lmin-l
average
oxygen
uptake
reported
for
officers
and
30-39
years
using
the
same
treadmill
protocol
(Price
et
al,
unpublished
data).
Submaximal
stress
tests
of
various
kinds
to
predict
maximal
oxygen
uptake
have
become
quite
popular.
The
officers
in
the
present
study
participated
in
three
predictive
tests
and
the
results
of
these
tests
compared
favourably
with
published
test
results
(Stamford
et
al,
1977;
NC
Justice
Academy,
1985;
AhIstrom,
1985).
Musculo-Skeletal
Integrity
Status
and
Performance
A
unique
feature
of
the
present
study
is
the
assessment
of
musculo-skeletal
integrity
by
isolation
of
flexion
and
extension
of
the
shoulder
and
knees
combined
with
performance
data
from
fitness
tests
of
muscular
performance.
Mean
power,
strength,
and
endurance
values
are
reported
in
Table
1.
It
has
been
proposed
that
imbalances
between
flexion-extension
and
right-left
limbs
might
indicate
a
potential
for
high
risk
of
injury.
The
police
officer
tends
to
have
very
sedentary
task
demands
during
the
majority
of
his/her
shift
but
there
is
always
the
risk
of
emergency
situations
requiring
maximal
exertion
of
muscular
effort.
An
imbalance
in
limb
strength
might
cause
the
officer
to
sustain
significantly
unequal
forces
across
the
knees
or
back
resulting
in
injury.
The
same
would
be
true
if
extension
was
excessively
greater
than
flexion
in
any
one
limb.
Interestingly,
the
endurance
ratios
of
strength
after
15
repetitions
were
similar
in
both
the
knee
and
shoulder
in
spite
of
lower
maximal
strength
and
power
measures
in
the
shoulder
(Table
1).
This
could
be
a
good
sign
for
the
overall
exercise
conditioning
reported
in
the
exercise
profiles
of
the
officers
and
may
indicate
a
reduced
injury
risk.
Experimental
studies
are
needed
to
explore
the
critical
flexion-extension
ratio
for
injury
risk.
No
major
imbalances
were
evident
in
the
present
study
nor
could
published
Cybex
data
on
police
officers
be
located.
Comparison
of
the
results
of
standard
physical
fitness
scores
of
the
officers
of
the
present
study
(Table
11)
to
scores
of
fellow
officers
of
similar
age
is
somewhat
difficult
due
to
the
diverse
types
of
tests
that
can
be
used
to
assess
physical
fitness.
In
general,
the
mean
scores
achieved
were
typical
of
the
mean
scores
reported
for
other
law
enforcement
populations
(Davis
and
Stark,
1980;
NC
Justice
Academy,
1985;
AhIstrom,
1985;
Fraser,
1986;
Booth
and
Hornick,
1984).
As
job-relevancy
is
an
important
consideration,
many
departments
and
agencies
have
developed
police
task-
oriented
tests
(Fraser,
1986;
Booth
and
Hornick,
1984;
Ellis
et
al,
1985;
Gayle,
1978;
NC
Justice
Academy,
1985).
These
tests
are
generally
combinations
of
basic
movements
that
might
occur
during
a
patrol
officer's
duties
such
as
climbing
a
fence
or
wall,
pursuing
a
suspect,
jumping,
or
carrying
a
victim
to
safety.
The
tests
selected
for
the
present
study
were
part
of
the
State
of
North
Carolina
Law
Enforcement
Guidelines
(NC
Justice
Academy,
1985)
although
instead
of
conducting
a
run
through
the
entire
course,
each
event
was
individually
timed.
In
addition,
a
165 yard
obstacle
course
was
selected
(Ellis
et
al,
1985).
The
results
of
the
task-
oriented
tests
are
presented
in
Table
Ill
and
do
not
necessarily
match
any
test
battery
selected
by
any
other
agency.
Each
agency
who
elects
to
utilise
task-oriented
measures
for
officer
fitness
has
to
decide
on
the
activities
to
be
evaluated,
the
order
and
combination
of
events,
and
establish
their
own
norms
for
acceptable
performance.
Lack
of
normative
data
is
a
limitation
in
interpreting
results
for
officers
and
for
the
department.
The
basic
premise
of
task-
oriented
tests
is
a
"can
do"
or
"cannot
do"
evaluation.
In
this
respect,
the
majority
of
the
officers
in
the
present
study
completed
each
task
successfully.
CONCLUSION
The
results
of
this
study
indicate
that
this
representative
population
of
police
officers
can
be
described
as
healthy
and
physically
fit.
Most
are
coping
well
with
the
potential
health
problems
of
a
sedentary
job,
changing
shift
work
times,
and
emotionally
charged
emergency
duties.
They
can
be
placed
well
along
the
positive
axis
of
a
health-
disease
continuum.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The
authors
wish
to
acknowledge
the
assistance
of
the
Clinical
Laboratory,
Wesley
Long
Community
Hospital;
Law
Training
Academy,
Guildford
Technical
and
Community
College;
Dr.
Spenser
Tilley,
MD;
and
C.
D.
Wade,
Chief,
and
the
Greensboro
Police
Department
for
support
in
this
project.
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Ahistrom,
P.
C.,
1985
"Police
memorandum".
Department
of
Public
Safety,
Broomfield,
CO.
Bjurstrom,
L.
A.
and
Alexiou,
N.
G.,
1978
'A
program
of
heart
disease
intervention
for
public
employees".
J.Occup.Med.
20
(8):
521-531.
Booth,
W.
S.
and
Hornick,
C.
W.,
1984
'Physical
ability
testing
for
police
officers
in
the
80's".
The
Police
Chief
Jan:
39-41.
Brozek,
J.,
Grande,
F.,
Anderson,
J.
T.
and
Keys,
A.,
1963
"Densiometric
analysis
of
body
composition:
a
revision
of
some
quantitative
assumptions".
Ann.
NY
Acad.Sci.
110:
11
3-1
40.
Davis,
P.
O.
and
Stark,
A.
R.,
1980
"Age
vs.
fat:
effect
on
physical
performance
of
police
officers".
FBI
Law
Enforcement
Bulletin
Sept:
10-15.
Ellis,
T.
L.
and
Bailey,
R.,
1984
"Healthy
police
officers
are
cost-effective
police
officers".
Police
Management
Today:
201-206.
157
Ellis,
T.
L.,
Brown,
K.,
Sutton,
E.,
White,
K.
and
Bailey,
R.,
1985
'Physical
fitness
program".
Monterey
Police
Department,
Monterey,
CA.
Falls,
H.
B.,
Baylor,
A.
M.
and
Dishman,
R.
K.,
1980
'Essentials
of
fitness".
W.
B.
Saunders
Publishers:
Philadelphia,
PA.
Fraser,
E.
A.,
1986
"Physical
fitness
maintenance:
a
developmental
process".
The
Police
Chief
Jn:
24-27.
Gates,
D.
P.
and
Sheffield,
R.
P.,
1940
'Tests
of
change
of
direction
as
measurement
of
different
kinds
of
motor
ability
in
boys
of
the
7th, 8th,
and
9th
grades".
Research
Quarterly
11
(3):
136-147.
Gayle,
R.
C.,
1978
"The
department
of
energy
physical
fitness
qualifications
test
for
security
inspectors:
analysis
and
recommendations".
Union
Carbide
Corporation,
Oak
Ridge,
TN.
Jaeger,
R.
M.,
1985
"Self-esteem
scale".
(Unpublished
data),
University
of
North
Carolina
at
Greensboro,
NC.
Kuntz,
G.
F.,
1986
"Development
and
implementation
of
glynco's
physical
assessment
test".
The
Police
Chief
Nov:
22-30.
Mostardi,
R.
A.,
Porterfield,
J.
A.,
King,
S.,
Wiedman,
K.
and
Urycki,
S.,
1986
"Cardiovascular
intervention
among
police
officers:
a
two
year
report".
The
Police
Chief
Jn:
32-34.
North
Carolina
Alcohol
Law
Enforcement
Division,
1986
"Wellness
program
handbook".
Raleigh,
NC.
North
Carolina
Justice
Academy,
1985
"North
Carolina
law
enforcement
fitness
standards
and
guidelines".
Salemburg,
NC.
South
Carolina
Criminal
Justice
Academy,
1986
"Health
fitness
screening
project".
South
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Criminal
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Academy.
Stamford,
B.
A.,
Kley,
J.,
Thomas,
D.
and
Nevin,
J.,
1977
"Physical
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The
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77.
BOOK
REVIEW
Title:
EXERCISE
TESTING
AND
EXERCISE
PRESCRIPTION
FOR
SPECIAL
CASES
-
THEORETICAL
BASIS
AND
CLINICAL
APPLICATION
Editor:
James
S.
Skinner
Publisher:
Lea
and
Febiger,
Philadelphia
1987
UK
Agents:
Quest
Meridien,
Beckenham
Price:
$30.00
US
314
pages
with
Index,
Tables
and
many
References
ISBN
0
8121
1054
4
This
text
makes
a
magnificent
contribution
to
the
literature
on
exercise
testing.
It
does
so
by
presenting
a
collection
of
individual
chapters,
written
by
authorities
in
the
field,
each
one
considering
a
different
aspect
of
testing
or
special
population.
Each
of
the
chapters
is
presented
economically
yet
in
depth,
well
referenced
and
up-to-date.
The
first
section
on
general
considerations
includes
general
principles,
sexual
dimorphism,
aspects
of
age
and
environment.
The
second
section
on
special
cases
includes
rheumatoid
arthritis,
diabetes,
dyslipoproteinemia,
obesity,
respiratory
and
cardiovascular
conditions,
and
pregnancy.
Sadly
my
review
copy
contained
a
serious
printing
error
which
duplicated
two
chapters
and
omitted
two
others.
I
was,
therefore,
not
able
to
examine
the
special
cases
of
rheumatoid
arthritis
and
diabetes,
but
trust
the
printers
have
corrected
this
problem.
It
is
difficult
to
fault
such
an
authoritative
text
and
for
any
serious
student
of
exercise
testing
and
prescription,
particularly
considerations
of
special subjects,
this
book
would
be
a
valuable
addition
to
their
library.
David
A.
Brodie
BOOK
REVIEW
Title:
THE
ANTERIOR
CRUCIATE
DEFICIENT
KNEE
(NEW
CONCEPTS
IN
LIGAMENT
REPAIR)
Authors:
D.
W.
Jackson
and
D.
Drez
Jnr.
Publisher:
C.
V.
Moseby
1987
UK
Agent:
Blackwell
Scientific
Publications
Price:
£50.50
324
pages
with
Index
ISBN
0
8016
2411
8
This
book
is
a
collection
of
papers
written
by
faculty
members
from
courses
organised
in
America
by
the
two
editors.
Douglas
Jackson
is
the
Medical
Director
of
the
Southern
California
Centre
for
Sports
Medicine,
Long
Beach,
California,
whilst
David
Drez
is
the
director
of
the
Louisiana
State
University,
Knee
and
Sports
Medicine
Fellowship
programme.
The
book
is
well
laid
out
with
clear
diagrams.
Chapters
start
with
the
anatomy
of
the
anterior
cruciate,
details
of
the
biomechanics,
clinical
examination
of
the
knee
for
anterior
cruciate
ligament
laxity
followed
by
discussion
on
factors
affecting
the
choice
of
anterior
cruciate
ligament
surgery
and
extensive
documentation
on
autograft,
allograft
and
prosthetic
ligament
replacement
both
by
open
surgery
and
arthroscopic
techniques.
The
final
chapters
deal
with
rehabilitation
and
the
role
of
bracing.
As
in
the
case
of
any
multi-author
volume
certain
subjects
are
omitted
or
glossed
over
in
a
very
cursory
manner.
Such
is
the
case
in
this
volume
where
the
menisci
warrant
eight
lines
of
text
with
no
mention
of
the
pattern
of
meniscal
injury
that
occurs
with
anterior
cruciate
damage
whilst
ten
pages
are
given
over
to
the
quantitative
examination
of
anterior
cruciate
laxity
using
the
UCLA
portable
instrumentation.
The
American
surgeons
at
present
seem
to
be
mesmerised
by
biomechanics
and
testing
under
laboratory
conditions
whilst
not
fully
assessing
the
functional
result.
The
chapter
on
rehabilitation,
gives
the
principles
that
immobility
must
be
minimised
and
healing
tissues
must
never
be
over-loaded,
with
great
detail
on
the
isometric
phase,
the
isotonic
phase,
isokinetic
phase
and
endurance
phase
programmes,
yet
the
only
mention
of
proprioceptive
retraining
is
given
one
line.
It
is
interesting
to
pick
up
the
vibes
that
our
American
colleagues
are
dissatisfied
with
all
the
braces
at
present
in
use
and
in
his
summary
on
the
future
of
anterior
cruciate
surgery
Douglas
Jackson
admits
that
bracing
has
been
primarily
on
an
empirical
basis
and
that
more
information
is
needed
on
its
efficacy.
This
book
is
aimed
at
the
training
and
established
orthopaedic
surgeon
with
a
specific
interest
in
knee
injuries.
For
this
group
it
will
provide
stimulation
and
reference
but
it
does
demand
a
fair
knowledge
of
the
subject
and
is
not
for
the
casual
browser.
J.
A.
Robertson
