Sports medicine is a medical specialty that deals with the theory and practice of sporting activity, training, lack of exercise and the prevention of sports injuries, but in a broader sense also with the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with sports injuries.
The specialists in sports medicine examine the importance of physical activity for health and mental and physical performance. Both competitive and recreational athletes are the focus of sports medicine doctors.
The range of services offered by specialists in sports medicine includes both diagnostic and therapeutic services as well as activities in the field of rehabilitation and advice for athletes:
Typical sports-related illnesses and sports injuries that are examined and treated by a registered sports medicine doctor or in a sports medicine clinic include
- Broken bones,
- Bruises and sprains,
- dislocations,
- strains,
- injuries to tendons, ligaments and muscles.
Such sports injuries are often treated surgically in sports surgery.
Nutritional coaching at a sports medicine clinic supports athletes in achieving their personal training goals. A diet tailored to the type of sport is crucial in order to provide the body with the energy it needs for maximum performance and rapid regeneration in competition or training situations.
In order to identify health risk factors and sports-related damage at an early stage, competitive athletes, but especially untrained recreational athletes, should have a health check(sports medical examination, sports check). This allows dangerous cardiovascular diseases to be identified and treated, and an individual training plan to be drawn up.
As every athlete's cardiovascular system is exposed to increased stress, examinations in a sports cardiology practice or clinic are of great importance. In addition to examinations of the cardiovascular system (e.g. long-term ECG, long-term blood pressure measurement, ultrasound examinations of the cervical arteries), sports cardiology often offers specific examination programs, such as the sports fitness examination, the sports medical examination or the marathon check.
In sports surgery, acute injuries and chronic complaints of the musculoskeletal system are treated conservatively and surgically. The range of sports surgery services includes, for example
- arthroscopic surgery,
- the use of ligament plasty in acute and reconstructive surgery on the shoulder, elbow, knee, hand and foot,
- surgical treatment of bone fractures and
- prosthetic joint replacement.
As part of a movement analysis, sports medicine doctors use video-based techniques to record movements, for example when running or cycling. This enables a sports medicine doctor to
- Optimize movement sequences,
- discover incorrect posture or incorrect movements and
- determine the causes of pain.
Performance diagnostics includes various sport-specific examinations and test procedures that provide sports medicine specialists with information about an athlete's current state of health, level of performance and resilience. It is a prerequisite for personal training advice and the adaptation of the training program.
Lactate diagnostics is part of performance diagnostics, in which the lactate content in the blood is determined as a measure of energy metabolism and energy supply. This can be particularly important for endurance athletes such as triathletes, cyclists and runners.
Spiroergometry, which is used to determine respiratory gases, can also be part of performance diagnostics. It can be used to determine energy metabolism and assess endurance performance.
There is currently no separate specialist training in sports medicine. Rather, specialists in sports medicine have obtained a specialist qualification in a field of direct patient care (e.g. cardiology, internal medicine, orthopaedics, surgery) and then undergone additional further training, which then entitles the graduate to use the title "additional qualification in sports medicine".
As part of this additional training, the prospective sports medicine doctor must complete at least 240 hours of sports medicine content from the following areas
- Physiology,
- internal medicine,
- cardiology,
- surgery,
- orthopaedics and
- traumatology
are taught.
In addition, the future sports medicine doctor must have completed at least 120 hours of sports medicine work in a sports club or similar institution.
Alternatively, to obtain the "additional qualification in sports medicine", sports medicine doctors have worked full-time for 12 months at a sports medicine facility, for example in a sports medicine clinic. Specialists in sports medicine often work in the field of sports cardiology and sports surgery.
