Sports Medicine Physicians
Did you know that during an English Premier League match in the 2006/2007 season, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech suffered a serious injury that nearly ended his life? He took a powerful blow to the head from the knee of Reading striker Stephen Hunt, which fractured his skull and left him in a coma with temporary paralysis. He was out of the game for nine months, and when he came back, he wore a protective headguard over his head, which he kept wearing in every match until he retired in 2019. Petr Čech's injury is one of the most serious in the history of football, but in most matches we see plenty of injuries that players suffer: torn ACLs, joint inflammation, muscle strains, swallowed tongues, and other injuries that aren't limited to football players but affect athletes across all kinds of sports. That's why most sports teams have a doctor who specializes in caring for players and helping them recover from the injuries they sustain — a doctor known as a "sports medicine physician."
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Select and prepare medical equipment or medications to be taken to athletic competition sites.
- Provide coaches and therapists with assistance in selecting and fitting protective equipment.
- Advise against injured athletes returning to games or competition if resuming activity could lead to further injury.
- Observe and evaluate athletes' mental well-being.
- Participate in continuing education activities to improve and maintain knowledge and skills.
- Develop and prescribe exercise programs, such as off-season conditioning regimens.
- Conduct research in the prevention or treatment of injuries or medical conditions related to sports and exercise.
- Advise athletes, trainers, or coaches to alter or cease sports practices that are potentially harmful.
- Attend games and competitions to provide evaluation and treatment of activity-related injuries or medical conditions.
- Record athletes' medical histories, and perform physical examinations.
- Supervise the rehabilitation of injured athletes.
- Refer athletes for specialized consultation, physical therapy, or diagnostic testing.
- Record athletes' medical care information, and maintain medical records.
- Inform coaches, trainers, or other interested parties regarding the medical conditions of athletes.
- Provide education and counseling on illness and injury prevention.
- Prescribe orthotics, prosthetics, and adaptive equipment.
- Prescribe medications for the treatment of athletic-related injuries.
- Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures.
- Inform athletes about nutrition, hydration, dietary supplements, or uses and possible consequences of medication.
- Evaluate and manage chronic pain conditions.
- Examine and evaluate athletes prior to participation in sports activities to determine level of physical fitness or predisposition to injuries.
- Develop and test procedures for dealing with emergencies during practices or competitions.
- Coordinate sports care activities with other experts, including specialty physicians and surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, or coaches.
- Advise coaches, trainers, or physical therapists on the proper use of exercises and other therapeutic techniques, and alert them to potentially dangerous practices.
- Examine, evaluate and treat athletes who have been injured or who have medical problems such as exercise-induced asthma.
- Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.