What is a Sports Medicine Physician?

What is a Sports Medicine Physician? Before answering this question, one must define the field of sports medicine. Most people will identify muscle, bone/joint, or ligament injuries when asked to define a sports medicine problem. In truth, injuries represent a large percentage of the field of sports medicine. However, sports medicine is not limited to the bones, joints, and muscles. Often, there are medical conditions that affect participation in activities, like infection and illness, and concussions, for example. Athletes are people first, and can have chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and epilepsy, to name a few. Athletes often utilize supplements like creatine, protein, and many others, to enhance performance. Psychological problems like eating disorders and depression related to injury or illness preventing participation. The practice of sports medicine is probably best defined as the provision of orthopedic and medical care to active people, providing safe participation in their chosen activities, whether competitive or recreational.

Sports medicine physicians have primary training with board certification in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, or physiatry. After completion of training in the primary field, the sports medicine physician completes subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine for one to two years. This training is required for obtaining the additional subspecialty certification. Additionally, the certification requires passing a qualification examination.

Sports medicine physicians differ from sports orthopedic surgeons in many ways. How are they similar? Sports medicine physicians have specialized training in the management of many orthopedic, or musculoskeletal, conditions that do not require surgery. Obviously, the orthopedic surgeon also has these skills, plus the ability to provide surgical care to those requiring it. The sports medicine physician has the capability of managing a multitude of medical problems, and as such, the two specialists often work together caring for teams and athletes. Sports medicine physicians are skilled in the provision of care to people with these conditions, guiding safe participation, exercise prescriptions, and safe .return to play.. Because of their qualifications, sports medicine physicians are also arguably best qualified to provide preparticipation examinations for prospective athletes of all ages.

Many sports medicine physicians become part of the sports medicine .team., which involves specialty physicians/surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, psychologists, coaches, parents, and athletes. Sports medicine physicians often function as team physicians for local and national teams and clubs, and provide medical care at large events, such as marathons and other races. Many participate in local, state, and national sports medicine societies and serve as instructors in the field at many levels.

Therefore, a sports medicine physician is a specialist who promotes lifelong fitness and wellness, encourages prevention of illness and injury, and helps people maximize function and minimize disability and time away from work, school, and the arena of competition.

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What is a Sports Medicine Physician?

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