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This is an introductory text designed to fill the void between the baseline knowledge of undergraduate student athletic trainers and the information presented in existing therapeutic modality texts. Its scope and content are written in a style that will accommodate a wide range of students with varying educational backgrounds. The presentation of these modalities has a strong slant toward their application but not at the expense of theory and research. Traditional application techniques are supported or refuted based on current literature.
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The aim was to write this text to the students in a manner that facilitates their comprehension of the material. The information in this text is presented in a sequential manner. Each chapter begins with the “basics” and progresses to higher levels of information. Terms that may be new to the student are defined on the same page for quick reference, and the text also includes a complete glossary. Chapters conclude with a short quiz to measure the student’s learning.
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The focal point of this text is Chapter 1, which presents the body’s physiological and psychological response to trauma. Each subsequent chapter relates how individual modalities affect the injury response process. Chapter 2 discusses the basic physics involved in the transfer of energy.
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Specific modalities are categorized by the manner in which they deliver their energy to the body. Chapter 3 presents thermal agents and the diathermies. Chapter 4 covers the principles, effects, and application of electricity. Chapter 5 deals with mechanical agents. Each modality is prefaced by an introductory section that is followed by the specific effects that the energy has on the injury response process. The unit then progresses to the modalities’ instrumentation, set-up, and application and concludes with the indications, contraindications, and precautions of its use.
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Chapter 6 introduces clinical decision making through the use of the problem solving approach and is supplemented through the use of case studies. The text concludes with a chapter addressing organizational and administrative concerns in the use of therapeutic modalities.