Sports medicine

Sports medicine developed in the 1970s as an orthopedic specialty focusing on competitive athletes. Today, sports medicine includes the overall care of athletes from many skill levels. Increasingly, care of recreational athletes has risen to that common for professional athletes. Initial sports medicine focused on knee injuries; now its purview also includes other musculoskeletal injuries including the shoulder, elbow, and ankle. In addition to the musculoskeletal system, emphasis is placed on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, and on training techniques, nutrition, and women's athletics. This wide range of care requires a multidisciplinary team of medical personnel, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, orthopedic surgeons, and general practitioners.