Sports
medicine offers a challenging field of work varying from injury prevention to treatment and recovery.
In addition to the many medical career choices, there are many developing fields of alternative sports therapy.
When a player suddenly faints and falls while playing, there are a few people that try to revive him or put him on a stretcher and take him off the field.
This job is little known by spectators.
Among the group could be a doctor, a fitness instructor, or an orthopedist.
All are branches of the same stream of medicine, known as sports medicine.
In the world of sports, an athlete’s fitness and physical well being play a major role in his sports career.
Not only his diet and fitness but also his medical capabilities to overcome stress are winning factors.
Diagnosing the right ailment and taking care of the performance of the athlete is the basic job of the sports medical professional.
Let’s take a look at this career in a broader perspective.
There are different specializations in the field of sports medicine; for example, exercise physiology, physical therapy, orthopedics, sports nutrition, biomechanics, etc.
For example, in orthopedics, a master’s degree is required.
The name of the course and its curriculum varies across colleges and universities.
-Dietician: The job of a dietician is to plan the diet for an athlete and decide on his intake of essential nutrients.
The dietician should have an American Dietetics Association (ADA) approved internship and a certification.
-Fitness instructor: A fitness instructor works either in the gym or on a regular job for a sports team.
He works along with the fitness team, which includes the physical therapists, coaches, exercise physiologists, etc.
-Exercise physiologist: They are the personnel who monitor the effect of exercise on the athlete’s body.
The exertion, good and bad effects of the same are responsible for the athlete’s health.
-Medical Physician: A medical physician is qualified to diagnose and treat an athlete in case of an emergency.
Depending on their qualifications, medical physicians are hired.
They mostly work in the medical team or are practicing doctors in hospitals.
Biomechanist, occupational physiologist, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist are some of the other jobs available.
Salary differs from profession to profession, and the experience one has in the field.
Generally professionals make more money when they specialize in specific areas of practice.