Sports Medicine Team Members

The team physician provides medical care to an

organization, school, or team. He or she may specialize in a variety of fields,
including family medicine, pediatrics, and orthopedics (33, 40). Specific
responsibilities of the team physician may include
injury prevention, supervision of athletes during
games, injury and illness evaluation and diagnosis,
and referral to other professionals as needed (33).
Although not responsible for daily rehabilitation,
Principles of Rehabilitation
and Reconditioning
? Healing tissues must not be overstressed.
? The athlete must fulfill specific criteria to
progress from one phase to another during
the rehabilitative process.
? The rehabilitation program must be based
on current clinical and scientific research.
? The program must be adaptable to each
individual and his or her specific requirements and goals.
? Rehabilitation is a team-oriented process
requiring all the members of the sports
medicine team to work together toward a
common goal of returning the athlete to
unrestricted competition as quickly and
safely as possible.Rehabilitation and Reconditioning 525
the team physician makes the final determination
of an athlete s readiness for return to competition
(33). Another important role of the team physician is the prescription of medica
tions as needed,
including anti-inflammatory, pain, and cold and flu
medications.
The person typically responsible for the dayto-day physical health of the athlet
e is the athletic
trainer or athletic therapist. In the United States, an
athletic trainer is certified by the National Athletic
Trainers Association Board of Certification as a
Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC). The athletic trainer
works under the supervision of the team physician
and is employed primarily by secondary schools,
colleges, or professional teams but may also work in
a sports medicine clinic. Primary responsibilities of
this individual include management and rehabilitation of injuries resulting from
physical activity and
prevention of injuries with the prescription of sportspecific exercise and the a
pplication of prophylactic
equipment (e.g., tape and braces). Specifically, the
athletic trainer evaluates acute injuries, provides the
injured athlete with therapeutic exercise to hasten
the rehabilitation process, treats injuries with therapeutic modalities, and ser
ves as an administrator for
the sports medicine team (2). Because the athletic
trainer has a significant amount of contact with the
athlete, he or she plays a key role in promoting communication among members of
the sports medicine
team, the coach, and the athlete.