What is a Sports Medicine?
Sports medicine is a field of medicine that focuses on optimizing physical fitness as well as the prevention and management of exercise and non-exercise related injuries and conditions. This includes medical problems relating to the joint, muscle, bone, and non-musculoskeletal conditions such as concussion, malnutrition, high-altitude sickness, and many more.
What is a sports medicine doctor?
Sports medicine doctors are physicians or surgeons that have received subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine. There are two types of sports medicine fellowships; one specifically for orthopedic surgeons, and the other for non-operative physicians, also known as primary care sports medicine. Physicians subspecializing in primary care sports medicine come from many different fields in medicine such as family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Both types of sports medicine doctors are experts in musculoskeletal medicine, with one having an operative skillset and the other with additional expertise in non-musculoskeletal conditions. Sports medicine doctors often serve as team doctors in the community from a high school level to collegiate and professional level.
Who should see a sports medicine doctor?
Whether you are an athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who wants to exercise, sports medicine doctors are the perfect healthcare providers to visit. Sports medicine doctors are a great choice as well for non-sport or non-exercise related conditions such as degenerative joint disorders and arthritis. Many sports medicine doctors are also experts in work-related injuries.