Sports Medicine FAQ
Sports Medicine FAQ
What is sports medicine?
Answer: Sports medicine is a medical practice where orthopedic physicians focus on treating and preventing injuries that happen as a result of playing sports or engaging in other physical activities.
Where doctors that practice general medicine will deal with the everyday injuries that occur from everyday life events, a doctor that specializes in sports medicine will be accustomed to treating athletes such as NFL players that have been injured during games.
What do sports medicine physicians do?
Answer: Sports medicine doctors have been extensively trained in the field of sports injuries. Whether the injury was the result of playing a sport, or from another form of physical activity a sports medicine doctor will be familiar with the type of injuries that can occur from high-impact physical contact, and how to help them heal as quickly as possible.
Some of the injuries sports medicine doctors treat are:
- Fractures
- Sprains
- Concussions
- Torn ligaments
In many cases, an athlete will play an important role in the success of the team that they play on. If they become injured the whole season could be in jeopardy. A sports medicine doctor will focus on rapid healing techniques with an additional focus on helping the player to avoid re-injuring themselves when they go back out on the field.
Why is sports medicine so important?
Answer: It is not a secret that physical activities on a regular basis help to maintain a higher level of health. People that like to stay active tend to become injured from time to time. Injuries from physical activities are not entirely the same as injuries from accidents and other mishaps.
Sports medicine is a practice that not only focuses on the immediate injury but also the prevention of injuries that could stem from the initial injury.
- Promotes health and vitality
- Injury prevention
- Ongoing physical care
A step further, a sports medicine doctor will take a deep look into the whole physiology of the patient and identify any other underlying conditions that could eventually cause injury.
A medical practice that focuses on keeping the patient healthy and active as much and as long as possible is important for the health of all people that strive to stay active and in good health.
Where did sports medicine originate?
Answer: This is a difficult question to answer in an exact nature. According to Aspetar, the world’s first official sports medicine practice was formed in Dresden, Germany in 1911. However, there is evidence that suggests that the Ancient Egyptians were the pioneers that started the entire medicinal industry.
The difference between sports medicine and many other common medicinal practices is that sports medicine incorporates a wide variety of other medical practices, concepts, as well as homeopathic techniques.
Is sports medicine the same as athletic training?
Answer: Sports medicine is a branch of medical practices that incorporate a large variety of techniques, strategies, and treatments into its methodology. As for athletic training, it is only one part of an entire whole. Where sports medicine uses athletic training as one of the components to promote health and healing, athletic training specifically focuses on the training aspect of sports medicine.
