Launching May 5 after three years in the making, Ligaments joins Dr. Meals’ musculoskeletal series for general readers.

Learn about these critical binders. Come to appreciate these unsung, essential elements of our musculoskeletal system.

Order now and receive Ligaments on launch date, May 5, 2026. (Pre-launch sales count toward day-of-launch numbers and contribute to “best seller” status.)

Praise for Ligaments:

“As only Dr. Roy Meals can do, he takes what might appear to be a tedious read and makes it both entertaining and broadly accessible.” Stacy Hite, Certified Hand Therapist

“You do not need to have majored in biology or be an orthopedic surgeon to enjoy this book.” Marc Safran, MD

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Last month’s post regarding the shape of handles on baseball bats contributing to a particular type of wrist bone fractures drew comments from several readers. Here is an update.

Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s longstanding record for the most home runs in a season (61) in 1961. Fans of the Bambino objected, however, because the season in 1961 was longer than in Ruth’s day, so Maris had more opportunities to swing for the fences than did Ruth. Thus Maris’s record is marked with an asterisk. Over the next season, Maris developed pain in his hand, was determined to have a hook of hamate fracture, and had the fracture fragment removed. His batting prowess never returned to its pre-fracture level.

Recognizing that the traditional knob on the baseball bat’s handle is a cause of hamate hook fractures, innovators have come up with alternatives, which do not subject the hamate hook to undue pressure. One sports a gentle taper. The other is shaped like an axe handle. Both are legal and favored by some sluggers. Time will tell whether a redesign of the traditional knob becomes the norm.