What is a Sports Medicine Specialist?

 Sports Medicine has been a recognized subspecialty by the American Board of      Medical Specialties since 1989. Currently there are more than 70 Sports Medicine
fellowships and approximately one thousand certified Sports Medicine Specialists in the United States.

Sports Medicine Specialists are physicians with a primary certification in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation who obtain 1-2 years additional training in Sports Medicine through recognized fellowship (sub-specialty) programs.

Eligible physicians who are board recognized in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics may take a subspecialty qualification examination in Sports Medicine.  The Sports Medicine certification examination is offered every other year. Sports Medicine Specialists further add to their expertise by participating in continuing medical education activities and must
re-certify every 10 years. This rigorous process was instituted to distinguish certified Sports Medicine specialists from other physicians without specialized training.

What is the difference between a Sports Medicine Physician and an Orthopedic Surgeon?

Both are well trained in musculoskeletal medicine. Sports Medicine Physicians focus upon non-operative medical treatment of injuries. Orthopedic surgeons also focus in upon the surgical management of these conditions. Approximately 90% of all sports injuries are non-surgical. Sports Medicine Physicians can expedite the referral to an orthopedic/sports surgeon when surgery is indicated, and can help guide referrals to appropriate rehabilitative care and ancillary services such as lab tests and xrays

Sports Medicine Specialists are uniquely positioned to meet the demands of today’s health care environment.

Expertise in musculoskeletal injury

Sports Medicine specialists undergo extensive training in musculoskeletal medicine, and as a result are better equipped than their primary care counterparts in the management of these problems. Sports Medicine Specialists are different than sports orthopedic surgeons. While sports orthopedic surgeons primarily focus on the operative treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, Sports Medicine Specialists specialize in the non-operative medical treatment of these injuries. This represents the great majority of the active population since approximately 90 percent of all sports injuries are non-surgical. If surgery is required, Sports Medicine Specialist can expedite referral to an orthopedic surgeon. They can also help guide referrals to appropriate rehabilitative care and ancillary services when necessary. Common examples of musculoskeletal problems include acute injuries such as ankle and knee sprains, muscle strains, and shoulder dislocations, and overuse injuries such as tendonitis and stress fractures.

Expertise in non-musculoskeletal injury

Sports Medicine Specialists have also received additional training in the non-musculoskeletal aspects of sports medicine. These often over-looked medical problems now have a specialist in their corner.

Common non-musculoskeletal sports medicine problems
• Mild traumatic brain injury and other head injuries
• Athletes with chronic or acute illness (such as infectious mononucleosis, asthma or diabetes)
• Nutrition and performance issues
• Exercise prescription for patients who want to increase their fitness
• Injury prevention
• “Return to play” decisions in the sick or injured athlete
• Strength training and conditioning

Sports Medicine does NOT just mean the competitive athlete

Sports Medicine Specialists are ideal providers for the non-athlete and are excellent resources for the individual who wishes to become active or begin an exercise program. For the “weekend warrior” or “industrial athlete” who experiences an injury, the same expertise used for the competitive athlete can be applied to return the individual as quickly as possible to full function.

Getting people moving

Keeping patients healthy is the common goal between medical professionals and the insurance industry. Of the myriad of medical specialties which exist today, only Sports Medicine is centered within a wellness-based (rather than disease-based) model. Beyond the abilities of other clinicians, Sports Medicine physicians, by virtue of their training, have the capability to take a sedentary population and incorporate the health-beneficial effects of exercise into people’s lives. Most adults fail to adequately exercise, and about one-quarter are completely sedentary. Unfortunately, only a small
percentage of this sedentary population are appropriately counseled by their doctor to exercise. In fact, less than one quarter of all primary care physicians were familiar with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines related to exercise prescription

Sports Medicine physicians help bridge this gap.

Although it remains important for primary care physicians to talk to their patients about the benefits of
exercise, research clearly indicates that proper counseling can be effective when delivered by a practitioner with more extensive training. That practitioner is the Sports Medicine Specialist.

The beneficial effects of exercise
• Reduction in risk of premature death due to all causes
• Reduction in risk of cardiac death
• Reduction in risk of development of diabetes
• Reduction in risk of development of high blood pressure
• Reduction in risk of development of colon cancer
• Reduction of pre-established high blood pre s s u re
• Reduction of subjective depression or anxiety
• Improvement in objective measures of obesity
• Decrease in elderly fall risk by increasing balance and proprioceptive skills

A word about the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) was organized in 1991 by a group of family physicians who recognized the need for an organization within the field of Sports Medicine that addressed overall health and functional capacity as it relates to the whole patient, and the incorporation of an objectively verifiable knowledge base towards enhancement and preservation of function. The AMSSM was formed to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting. The clinician best suited to practically establish that link is the Sports Medicine specialist. For more information about Sports Medicine or about the AMSSM, please call (913) 327-1415 or visit their web site at www.amssm.org.