Sports Medicine Introduction

By:
Mrs. Heinz, MS, ATC, M.Ed
The History of SportsMedicine
A. The historical development of
SportsMedicine
1. The origins lie in Ancient Greece
and Rome, where physical education was
valued and an integral part of an
adolescents life.
2. The care of athletes was done by
specialists. These people were thought
to have special knowledge in diet, physical
therapy, and sport-specific techniques.
 History (continued)
3. In the 2nd century AD, the first
team doctor was Galen, who was
appointed to the Gladiators.
 History (continued)
4. This marked the beginning
practice of having a doctor involved
all of the time, not just when an
injury occurs.
5. It is also evident that
SportsMedicine has always been
multidisciplinary, including the
preparation of athletes for their sport
as well as the treatment of injuries.
B. What is SportsMedicine?

1. It is an umbrella term that

includes all professionals concerned
with enhancing the performance and
health care of physically active
individuals (sport, exercise, or
recreational activity).
The Umbrella
 Sports Medicine
2. As interests and participation in
athletics has increased , SportsMedicine
has grown.
3. It encompasses all phases of
medical concerns relating to athletic
activity
-biomechanical, psychological,
nutritional, environmental, pathological,
and physiological
 The Umbrella
4. Under the SportsMedicine
umbrella falls: Physical educator,
Nurse, Athletic Director, Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT), Podiatrist,
Chiropractor, Ophthalmologist,
Dentist, Exercise Physiologist,
Orthopedic Surgeon, Coach, Physical
Therapist, Nutritionist, Psychologist,
Primary Care Physician, Athletic
Trainer, Kinesiologist
 Growth of Sports Medicine
5. The SportsMedicine field has been growing
rapidly, especially in the last 30 years:
-Increase in the number of professional
associations designating SportsMedicine as a
subspecialty
-Increase in literature, research, and
educational experiences
-Increase in number of professional
journals (peer-reviewed)
-Increase in the number of medical
clinics specializing in SportsMedicine
 Growth (continued)
6. Article: 30 years of sports medicine-and sportsmedicine,
Physician and Sportsmedicine, January 2003

a. In the 1970s, Jack Taylor, an orthopedic

surgeon, says that the subject matter (sportsmedicine)
was primarily locker-room medicine.
b. At the end of the 1970s, the science
became evident in Sports Medicine..key issues were
safety, mechanism of injury, and biomechanics, as research
began to explode.
c. Sports Medicine Certfication added to family
practice and postgraduate programs.
d. Initially focused on competitive athletes, but
began to be applied to all populations.
 Growth (continued)
e. Womens Health, with addition of Title
IX in 1972, has increased the most.
Common topics include ACL injuries,
exercise during pregnancy, and the female
athlete triad.
f. Sports Medicine philosophy
evolved to show how important exercise is
to prevent many chronic diseases such as
diabetes, heart disease, and
osteoporosis.Exercise is medicine!
g. ACL injuries no longer end a career,
surgery and rehab process became more
aggressive, and return an athlete to their
sport in 6 months
h. The future: continue to
promote Exercise is medicine, tissue
engineering and cell manipulation to
speed healing and for soft-tissue
replacement, genetic engineering used for
ergogenic aid
 C. The SportsMedicine Team
1. To ensure a safe environment
for maximal sport performance, a
collaboration of professionals are
needed medical, paramedical, and
professional personnel.
2. The primary SportsMedicine
team includes the team physician (if
applicable), the primary care
physician (PCP), the Certified Athletic
Trainer (ATC), and the Coaching
Staff.
 Responsibilities
-They are responsible for the series of
events to provide the immediate care of
an injured athlete, getting more advanced
care if needed, notifying the
parents/guardians, rehabilitation (if
needed), and the safe return to activity.
3. Others to complement the
SportsMedicine Team include equipment
managers, facility administrators (such as
Athletic Director Cruickshank), physical
therapists, and other allied health care
professionals.
 Athletic Trainer and Coach
First Responders
Follows guidelines, standards of care
Stabilize until further help arrives if
needed
ATC assesses injury, lead through
rehabilitation
ATC decides return to play
Refer if needed!
 Resources
Anderson, M. K, & Hall, S. J. (1995).
Sports Injury Management. Williams
and Wilkins, Baltimore.
Booher, J. M, & Thibodeau, G. A. (1994).
Athletic Injury Assessment (3rd
edition). Mosby Publishing, Chicago.
Wappes, J.R. (2003). 30 years of sports
medicine and SportsMedicine.
Physician and Sportsmedicine. 31 (1),
15-18.