A Sports Medic is not a general doctor or surgeon who looks into the medical needs of a sportsperson. Its area of functioning is much larger and specialized. Sports medicine has unfortunately been misunderstood, underestimated and neglected in our country. There is a dire need to understand its scope, vastness of its functioning, and importance of its being classified under a separate head.
Sports Medicine is a multi-faceted, inter-disciplinary branch of medicine. It requires academic excellence and clinical superiority to be a sports doctor. Such a professional focuses on the injuries sustained during a sports activity or strenuous exercise, and how to cure it. A doctor should have knowledge about the injuries that can occur, the vulnerable points in a sports person’s body, the most targeted areas of injury in a particular sports, and the ways of recuperation and recovery. He may not be an orthopedic or a surgeon, but should be able t diagnose the problem, and refer to the specialized doctor for the right treatment. Sports medicine is not only about treating injuries, as has been wrongly understood, but it also involves taking and suggesting preventive measures for injury, performance enhancement, and bringing the sports person back to the pavilion. At times, doctors also have to act as counselors and help emotionally suffering ones to get back the courage and determination to perform. Thus it is not about catering to mere physical ailments, but also emotional requirements. A sports medic also helps in the selection of the right players for an event, and evaluation of the players.
To be a Sports Doctor, you first need an MBBS degree (preferably from a recognized institute). After that, you have to enroll for a two year post graduate diploma in Sports Medicine offered by the National Institute of Sports, recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). Also you have to undergo training program in rehabilitation, exercise physiology and orthopedics. In India, such facilities of education in sports medicine is quite restricted. For a truly interested student, going abroad for this course is beneficial and more helpful.
A Sports Doctor should possess great expertise in medicine as well as human skills. You have to work very closely and in tandem with players, thus a complete and in depth knowledge of their physicality, requirements, weaknesses and vulnerabilities is a necessity. You should be an excellent diagnostic and be able to heal effectively. Communication and healing works together for a sports doc.
Since the initial stages of your career, you get handsomely remunerated. Starting with a Rs 50,000 a month, your pay can be in lakhs with experience. It is also dependent on the sports and the player you are responsible for. Unfortunately, in India, the pay of a sports doctor is much less as compared to that in other countries.
Sports Medicine is still a neglected filed of medicine in India. Neither is the Sports authority nor the medics aware of its true essence and importance, thus it is not only the players who have to bear the brunt, but the professional specialized doctors also have to face the sad situation. The scope is vast, especially with sports being so significant to the country. In India, there are negligible number of sports surgeons or physicians. And also most of them have a generalized knowledge base, which s not a particular sports specific. Every game has its requirement that is unique, so the skill of the doctor also has to be unique. Because of the inherent lack of awareness, there is a serious dearth of job opportunities for medics in India also, though the need and scope is enormous.
There is a dire need to awaken to the medical needs of the game, any and all games, because the performance of a player is not only dependent on his skill and practice, but also on fitness, proper treatment and guidance, which only a well trained Sports Doctor can supply. It is high time that it be seen as a specialized field and given due credit and opportunity.
