We tend to think of most forms of medicine as fairly modern developments, but sports medicine actually traces its origins back to ancient Greece and Rome. Young athletes were sustaining avoidable injuries due to lack of proper training, so the powers that be decided to coordinate their training and medical care. Doctors advised on how the training regimens were affecting the athletes bodies, and this enabled their trainers to develop routines that were safer and more effective.
In the second century, a doctor named Galen had the task of monitoring gladiators’ well-being. In the fifth century, Herodicus used physical therapy to help injuries heal more quickly and thoroughly. These practices are exactly the sort that would later comprise sports medicine.
In 1928, the International Congress of Sports Medicine was formed. This committee recognized formally that the service of doctors could be used not just to heal injury, but to prevent it. This is the concept which underlies sports medicine to this day: that with proper medical advice, we can avoid injuries and strains.
It wasn’t until the Summer Olympics in 1968 that a Dr. J.C. Kennedy was asked to coordinate a medical team that would travel with Canadian Olympic athletes to look after them. Dr. Kennedy went on to found the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine.
Now is it not uncommon even for ordinary people involved in sports to see sports medicine doctors not just for injuries but for advice and preventative care suggestions. Sports medicine doctors perform check-ups and provide education to athletes, as well as helping them treat problems. Even the non-athletic often find themselves referred to sports medicine doctors because of injuries, especially those due to stress rather than sudden trauma: back and neck problems related to tension or bad posture, RSI or carpal tunnel, etc. The awareness and availability of sports medicine has contributed to a decrease in injuries reported by athletes.
