Imagine the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots faces a niggle in the training. Or the Point Guard of the Dallas Mavericks has twisted his ankle mid-game. Who do they call on to help the pros out?
Professionals.
People who have mastered the science of sports medicine, to be more precise.
Sports medicine is a rather wide specialty field in medical science that is centered around physical fitness and both the treatment and prevention of injuries incurred during engagement in sports or exercise. While athletes are the primary target, non-athletes also utilize this knowledge to improve their form or technique and aid recovery from injuries. It goes beyond prescribing, also including surgery, rehabilitative care, and equipment recommendation. With the US Sports medicine market growing with a solid CAGR of 8.4% till 2034, expect increasing demand for healthcare professionals with qualifications like the online MSN FNP.
Why Is Sports Medicine Important?
Sports medicine is beneficial for both professional athletes and casual exercisers. At the upper echelons of professional sports in leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB, every team, as well as marquee players, has a biomechanics specialist who suggests the improvement of posture, form, or technique before any injury occurs, nipping the problem in its bud.
If injuries do occur, specialists who excel at reconditioning and rehabilitation are utilized for speedy progress. For the casual exercisers, sports med professionals usually aid in recovery after injury. To put it succinctly, sports medicine enables a healthy lifestyle.
What Are The Different Specializations?
1. Orthopedic Sports Medicine
The primary function in this area is based around treatment of musculoskeletal sports injuries. For instance, some injuries like ACL, which are more common in female footballers, can have a recovery time of 12 to 18 months and have a debilitating impact on pace, recovery, and burst of speed upon return, attributes which can be pivotal in soccer.
Some common injuries that orthopedic specialists also deal with include issues like sprain, fracture, dislocation, gait abnormalities or limping, Apophysitis, tendinitis, and cartilage injuries. Apart from medication and exercise, surgery is another option on the table for this field, with orthopedic surgery being an integral sub-specialty.
2. Athletic Training
When you see one of your favourite sports stars going down on the field writhing in pain, athletic trainers are the first to arrive on the field, running quickly from the dugout to assess the situation. Athletic trainers have the primary role of providing on-field first aid and injury assessment. They have to make sure all possible steps and precautions are taken to avoid further exacerbation of injuries. This is because athletes have millions at stake at the higher levels, and with sporting careers usually having a short span of a decade and a half, maximizing the peak years is essential.
Apart from on-field assessment, athletic trainers also have the job of providing initial care, developing individual recovery plans, and determining when athletes are fit enough to resume playing. They usually work closely in collaboration with other specialists and also play a co-ordinating role.
3. Sports Physical Therapy
Sports physical therapists help athletes regain their full range of motion and restore normal functioning post-injury or surgery. They are tasked with designing and suggesting an exercise regimen that can aid recovery. Different techniques, like massage and stretching (physical therapy), strength training, joint mobilization, ultrasounds, electrical stimulation, kinesiology, and heat and cold therapy, are utilized by these experts.
4. Strength and Conditioning
Strength and conditioning coaches have the job of maximizing the physical potential of an individual athlete. To put it simply, they’re tasked with ensuring athletes remain in peak physical condition. The training is designed to boost speed, endurance, power, agility, and flexibility. In a nutshell, a strength and conditioning expert helps an athlete improve his/her performance and reduce the risk of injury.
5. Biomechanics
Biomechanists are people who combine the study of human movement and physics to enhance athlete performance. Advancements in areas like motion tracking have enabled biomechanics to identify inefficiencies in movement and technique. Improving these movements also reduces the load and strain on joints and muscles. For example, the arm angles, wrist positions, and hip rotation of a baseball pitcher could be analyzed to optimize them for maximum velocity while minimizing stress on the shoulder and elbow at the same time.
Sports medicine professionals are the unsung heroes of modern games. They work tirelessly behind the scenes with professional athletes to improve performance, minimize injury risk, and aid recovery and rehab. A whole team of professionals work as a unit and complement each other’s work. The athletic trainers assess the injury on-field. The orthopedics come into the picture post-injury. The physios fasten recovery. The strength and conditioning folks maximize the physical potential. Finally, the biomechanist combines the power of physics with human movement to find areas of inefficiency.
