Overview

Sports medicine focuses on improving the body’s performance, recovering from injury, and preventing future injuries.

Sports medicine is one of the fastest growing areas of health care because health workers who specialize in sports medicine help many “regular” people as well as athletes.

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to seek help from a sports medicine professional. Sports medicine professionals treat patients who participate in sports just for fun or want to get better results from their exercise program, patients who suffered injuries and want to regain full function, and people who have disabilities and want to increase their mobility and capabilities.

The field of sports medicine encompasses many different health careers, including:

Medical doctor

Doctor of Osteopathy

Athletic trainer

Kinesiotherapist

Exercise physiologist

Physical therapy

Nutrition/Dietetics

Nursing

The career path you take will depend on your interests, your educational goals, and the environment where you want to work.

Many careers in this field require degrees, and certification can improve your chance of landing a great job.

If you’re interested in sports medicine, consider volunteering with the medical personnel that assist your school sports teams. You can observe the work they do and learn how to train for a career in this interesting field.

To learn more about this exciting field visit the American College of Sports Medicine.

You can download, save and print a PDF of this career profile:

Sports Medicine Overview 18 Sep 2009 [pdf, 67 KB]