There is an increasing tendency for people to seek some form of compensation following personal injury. This is reflected by an increasing demand for medico-legal reports. These reports require details, not only of the injuries sustained, but also of the rate of recovery and the prognosis. The aim of this book is to provide a ready source of those answers the orthopaedic surgeon (and solicitor) require without the need to spend hours in a library. The editors have attempted to cull from the world literature the relevant data and present it in an easy to read format. Authors adopt different criteria both in classifying fracture patterns and in categorising results of treatment after musculoskeletal injuries. The editors defend their actions in comparing different authors works by stressing that it is their intention to provide prognostic guidelines only. Different methods of treatment are compared, but it is not intended to recommend one method of treatment over another.