THE SKELETON 77 



anatomical knowledge to recognize the direction of the displace- 

 ment. No injury to a joint should be neglected. Inflammation 

 once started there is often difficult to check and runs on, in a 

 chronic way, until the synovial surfaces are destroyed, and the 

 two bones perhaps grow together, rendering the joint permanently 

 stiff. 



Immediate and complete rest has been commonly supposed to 

 be the only proper treatment for sprained joints, but it has been 

 shown recently that massage, properly applied by one expert in its 

 use, has a remarkably beneficial effect upon sprains. Injuries of 

 this sort so severe that under the rest treatment they would re- 

 quire weeks for recovery "yield so completely in a few days to 

 massage treatment that the injured individual can participate in 

 athletic contests. It should be borne in mind that massage to be 

 effective must be applied by an expert in its use. 





