Playing Hurt: Evaluating and Treating the Warriors of the NFL

By Pierce E. Scranton Jr.

After eighteen years as the team physician for the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks, Dr. Pierce Scranton describes the frenzied world of treating injured professional athletes while also... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574883976
• ISBN13: 9781574883978
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Potomac Books
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Well written, wish there were more pages

I read the book that the Raider's team doctor wrote (sorry, I am blanking on the title) and this is along the same vein. Scanton does not hold back, he speaks his mind about every Seahwawks coach and owner during his tenure with his team.

Excellent Book - misleading reviews

Full disclosure: the book was recommended to me by a doctor who is a freind of the author. Additionally, I have personally been treated more than once by the trainer (Jimmy Whitesel) who the author worked with while he was with the Seahawks. WHAT THE BOOK DOES NOT DO I don't usually refer to other reviewers, but even though I agree wholeheartedly with their recommendations to buy this book, their comments are baffling to me, and, I believe, quite misleading. First, the book does not focus on drinking. I was so surprised by the reviewers who said that the author talks too much about drinking, that I actually re-read the entire book. In 177 pages, the author mentions drinking exactly 3 times, and each time it is a very brief, almost passing mention, mostly in the context of the restaurant's atmosphere as part of a meal on the road. To claim that drinking is some major part of this book is utterly ridiculous. Second, the book does not leave you lost in medical terminology. The criticism that the author often uses anatomical terms without explaining them is somewhat fair, but only somewhat. The author DOES explain the consequences very clearly, so you never feel like you're missing something. For example, even if you don't fully understand the position and exact function of the anterior cruciate ligament in the human knee, you can't possibly miss how critical it is to knee stability. The author goes to great lengths talking about how it affects performance, especially depending on the position the player plays. Finally, as for focusing on the Seahawks, well, duh. He was the Seahawks' team doctor. He's writing from his own experience. He DOES talk quite a bit about other teams, their medical staffs, their approaches, etc. I never felt like I was getting a limited viewpoint; the author regularly clarified how his experiences were the same or different from other teams, so I never felt as though I was getting a limited viewpoint. WHAT THE BOOK DOES DO The book takes you through a typical season, starting with the Scouting Combine in February, and through the draft and summer camp, the season, and playoffs. You get tremendous insights into the medical aspects (of course), and this alone makes the book well worth reading. After reading this book, every injury report I hear takes on whole new ranges of meaning. But the book does not stop there. In describing how the midical aspects are part of the whole, you get amazing insights into how an NFL teams works. Indeed, at first I was confused as to why the last two chapters talk about non-medical things, such as detailed sections on each of the head coaches the author worked with. After reading them, however, it was clear that there was tremendous insight into how a coach thinks, how he interacts with players and all the people surrpounding a team, and mostly how his approach affects everything that leads to winning or losing. BOTTOM LINE If you have any interest at all in professional sports, espec

Excellent book!

Dr. Scranton is an excellent author. Playing Hurt is well written and captivating.He brings you behind the scenes of the NFL, and describes the entire process of an athlete's life in well written detail. Medical knowledge is helpful, but not reqired. You can reference the medical terminology on the internet if need be.I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about sports medicine, or even the casual NFL fan (like me).

What a great read

The descriptions of some injuries may be difficult to those without a background in common athletic injuries (eg. buckethandle cartilage tear). But, this is a great insight into one team physician's experiences in the NFL. I would agree with one review that said he focuses on his drinking, but having limited exposure to the world of sports medicine, as a collegiate student trainer, this is very much a part of the atmosphere. He discusses the bonding of a medical staff in a bar setting, that hazy arena where information on potential players is shared and war stories abound.I would whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone that is even the slightest bit interested in the world of sports medicine.

A good look inside the NFL

The title of the book caught my eye. I see all these players getting hurt on Sundays. What is really happening? As I read the book I found it was something different. The medical aspect servers more as a backdrop into how the NFL works. Stranton talks about what really happens at the combines, what is draft day like, how do game days go, etc. On the down side the book drags in a few places. He talks too much about all the drinking he does. Also, the book focuses almost exclusively on the Seahawks. On the up side he does not pull his punches. He is not afraid to say so owner or coach is a jerk.Fun quick read.