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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIAN
What’s a Sports Medicine Physician? Sports medicine physicians have specialized training in the field in medicine that deals with sport or exercise-related injuries. Their primary focus is on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries that occur during sports and other physical activity.
What type of doctor can become a Sports Medicine Physician • There are two types of "sports medicine" doctors. Non-surgical or primary care sports medicine doctors, and orthopedic surgeons. Most primary care sports medicine doctors choose family medicine as their baseline training, which means they first complete 3 years of a family medicine residency after medical school, before embarking on their additional sports medicine training. Although family medicine is the most popular choice, other choices for initial residency training prior to doing sports medicine include pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency medicine, neuromusculoskeletal, and rehabilitation medicine. Each of these are non-surgical specialties. Orthopedic surgeons must of course complete an orthopedic surgery residency.
What kind of training allows a doctor to learn “Sports Medicine”? To pursue the primary care sports medicine path, the doctor applies for a 1-2 year sports medicine fellowship program. During fellowship training for primary care doctors, a great deal of time is spent learning more about sports injuries. Time is spent in orthopedic surgeons' offices, as well as assisting in orthopedic surgery. Primary care doctors won't become surgeons, but it's helpful that they learn firsthand about the various surgeries that some of their patients may need. Another important aspect of sports medicine fellowships involves being a team doctor for a local high school and/or college, gaining experience in the training room as well as on the field.
Is there an additional examination in becoming a “Sports Medicine”? • For orthopedic surgeons, there is not. For primary care doctors, there is, and it is called a "Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in sports medicine". It is a rigorous examination that covers the medical and musculoskeletal aspects of sports medicine. • The two organizations that certify physicians are the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. Any claim of "board certification" or "certificate of added qualifications" must be accredited by one of these two organizations.
Can my regular family doctor or regular orthopedic surgeon treat my sports injury? • Yes, and many of them do. It would be unfair to a family doctor or orthopedic surgeon to say that they cannot treat your sports injury just because they did not do a fellowship. However, the extra training that a sports medicine fellowship provides makes a primary care sports medicine doctor or orthopedic sports medicine surgeon an ideal choice for many active people.
Some doctors are D.O.s and some M.DS., is there any difference? • D.O.s (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine) and M.D.s are considered to be equivalent degrees. D.O.s, however, place additional emphasis on the musculoskeletal system, and also can perform hands-on manipulation (called osteopathic manipulation). This can be a very effective tool when treating various sports injuries. However, D.O.s are not limited to manipulation, as they also prescribe drugs, do surgery, and practice a full scope of medicine. Only D.O.s and M.D.s are recognized by the American Medical Association as fully licensed physicians in the United States.
Do Sports Medicine Physician only treat athletes? • No, Sports Medicine Physicians are ideal physicians for the non-athlete as well, 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.
What’s the difference between a Sports Medicine and a Orthopedic Surgeon? • Both are well trained in musculoskeletal medicine. Sports Medicine Specialists are orthopedic surgeons with additional training in the unique injuries and recovery cycle of athletes. Sports medicine surgeons specialize in the non-operative and operative treatment of musculoskeletal sports conditions. Individuals with advanced expertise in sports medicine are trained to detect subtle conditions that often limit optimum performance and to employ advanced therapies including surgery to restore that potential. Many sports injuries can be managed without surgery and Sports medicine surgeons can expedite referral to appropriate r rehabilitative care and ancillary services as n needed.
What’s the average salary of a Sports Medicine? • The median expected salary for a typical Physician - Sports Medicine in the United States is $242,019. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies
What are sports injuries? • Sports injuries are injuries that occur in athletic aoiuctivities. In many cases, these types of injuries are often due to overuse or acute trauma of a part of the body when participating in a certain activity. For example, runner's knee is a painful condition generally associated with running, while tennis elbow is a form of repetitive stress injury at the elbow. Other types of injuries can be caused by a hard contact with something. This can often cause a broken bone or torn ligament or tendon • Injuries are a common occurrence in professional sports and most teams have a staff of Athletic Trainers and close connections to the medical controversy has arisen at times when teams have made decisions that could threaten a player’s long-term health for short term gain.
Why am I interested in becoming a Sports Medicine Physician? I love the idea of it being me against nature and being the one thing stopping. Its being the combination of my knowledge, instinct and practical skill that makes a difference. I want to be able to be able to walk into any situation and be able to take control of it, like an accident or else, where you can tell someone to do something - phone for an ambulance or anything else of that matter-and there is something in the way that you say it that makes people feel able to do it no matter what else is going on around them. I want to be able to go home at the end of the day and think that today I saved a person's life or help them, someone will remember me because I did something right.
