596

Mantyjarvi, M (1 994). ‘No-show patients in an opthalmological out-patient department’, Acta Opthalmologica, 72, 3, 284-289. Morse, D L , Coulter M P , Napodan, R J, Hwang, H and Lawrence, C (1 984). ‘Broken appointments at a neighbourhood health centre’, Medical Care, 22, 9, 813-817. Murray, M J and Leblanc, C H (1996). ‘Clinic follow-up from the emergency department: Do patients show up?’ Annals of Emergency Medicine, 27, 1, 56 -58. Patten, J (1984) quoted in Russell, W op cit.

Russell, W (1984). ‘Four million people who fail to attend’ (Letter from Westminster) British Medical Journal, 288, 1928. Vasey L (1990). ’Why do patients fail to begin or to complete a course of physiotherapy treatment?’ Physiotherapy, 76, 9,

Vikander T, Parnicky K, Demers R, Frisof, K, Demers, P and Chase, N (1986). ‘New-patient no-shows in an urban family practice center: Analysis and intervention’, Journal of family Practice, 22, 3, 263 - 268.

575-578.

eo reviews Sports Taping Basics (Set of two videos) Lower Body and Upper Body presented by David Perrin and Melinda Flegel. Produced by Human Kinetics (Europe), PO Box IW14, Leeds LS16 6TR, 1996. 66 minutes (both tapes). f57.

These two videos are an excellent supplement to David Perr in’s book Athletic Taping and Bracing, published by Human Kinetics in

1995. For a beginner, t rying to master the art of taping from a book is a daunting task, and thus these videos provide the viewer with easy to follow step-by-step sequences of t a p i n g var ious structures in the upper and lower body.

David Perrin and his colleagues demonstrate each method, and a good commentary is provided

The ROM Dance A Range of Motion Exercise and Relaxation Programme by Diane Harlowe and Patricia Yu. Published by St Mary’s Hospital Medical Centre, Madison, Winsconsin, USA, 2nd edn, 1993 (ISBN 1 877950 01 7). Complete kit available from Winslow Press, Telford Road, Bicester OX6 OTS. f 139.95.

This k i t is a complete package which includes a 120-page instruction book, four video- and s ix audio-casset tes . I t was developed in America by Diane Harlowe, a director of occupational therapy, and Patricia Yu, psych- ologist and health educator, who is a teacher of T’ai Chi Ch’uan and Meditation.

Fist published in 1984, it is an a t t e m p t to wes tern ise t h e principles of T’ai Chi, the Chinese sys tem of balanced flowing exercises and mental focus and is designed to he lp improve jo in t flexibility a n d range i n elderly arthritic patients.

The title ‘Dance’ sounds rather energet ic whereas i n fact i n consists of a sequence of 42 simple gentle movements using imagery and music to promote well-being and relaxation. Each element of t h e Dance h a s a n appropr ia te

verse to describe the movement, eg ‘I kick ripples in the water with one foot then t h e other’, and is considerably easier to learn than those of T’ai Chi . The whole sequence t a k e s seven to e i g h t minutes to perform.

The book gives detai led descriptions and illustrations of each part of the ROM Dance and also h a s a section on different relaxation techniques including scr ip ts for f a n t a s y and visual isat ion which would be useful for physiotherapis ts not familiar with these methods.

I found t h e video a n d audio tapes ra ther repetitive; all four demonstration videotapes actu- ally contained almost identical mater ia l . They had a curiously dated feel which may be because they were made some t ime ago when it was necessary to justify and explain the concept of holistic treatment.

Nevertheless, the idea is good and the Dance proved very popular and enjoyable for a group of elderly ladies when I tried i t out a t our day unit. I t is just a pity that the whole ra ther expensive package has to be bought to make use of the programme.

Christine Harvey MCSP

explaining each s t e p . A shor t review of each method is provided after each demonstration.

The durat ion of t h e video for the lower body is 41 minutes and covers methods of taping sprains of the ankle, great toe, arch, knee (col la teral l igaments , an te r ior cruciate and hyperextension) and strains of the hip (adductors, hip flexors, and hamstrings).

I find it strange that the author uses rigid tape to limit range of movement! Muscles hypertrophy during activity, therefore anchors of rigid t a p e would sure ly be restr ic t ive, a n d in te r fe re with blood supply a n d neura l t rans- mission.

The upper body video lasts for 24 minutes a n d covers spra ins of t h e shoulder (spica method demonstrated), elbow, wrist and hand, thumb and finger. It is most i m p o r t a n t t o emphas ise t h a t t h u m b t a p i n g m u s t be applied in a functional, ie ‘hand-shake’, posit ion, a n d t h i s should be reinforced with each strip of tape. This is especially important for the novice taper.

Sports Taping Basics are useful videos for refreshing the memory when taping unfamiliar injuries, a n d for use as a n a id when teaching s tudents , a thletes and coaches how to fac i l i t a te a n athlete’s r e t u r n to competition, thus preventing re-injury.

These videos would be a useful addi t ion to a n y spor t s injury clinic l ib rary a n d would be of t remendous benefit to staff , especially those involved with looking after teams.

Rose Macdonald BA MCSP MCPA

Physiotherapy, November 1997, vol83, no 11