Sports Medicine Centers in the United States: the Personnel, Patients, and Services

Abstract

Sports medicine in the United States is a rapidly expanding field. The movement of the public into organized and informal recreation and sports has stimulated the growth and sophistication of sports medicine. In the last 35 years, sports-related injuries have received unprecedented interest. Numerous sports medicine centers (SMC) have been established to meet the increased demand for a specialized approach to the treatment of sports injuries. Three main functions of SMC's have been reported: 1) research into the causes of and possible prevention of sports injuries; 2) sports medicine education for physicians, medical students, allied medical professionals, coaches, and the public; and 3) care of the injured athlete including the areas of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitate.In the latter half of 1978, this investigator surveyed SMC's in the United States to identify the status of selected aspects of the operations and approaches to sports medical treatment at these centers and also to provide a profile of sports medicine centers. A listing of SMC's was generated and a specially constructed survey instrument was mailed to 85 centers. Of the centers identified for this study, 71 (83.5%) responded with either a completed survey or a letter of explanation. Of those 71 responding, 56 (79%) met criteria established for inclusion in the study. These criteria were that the SMC: 1) specialized in the care of athletic injuries, and 2) had a patient population presenting primarily participant sports-related injuries.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1980;1(4):222-225.