Introduction
Orthopedics is basically the branch of surgery that is concerned with acute, traumatic and overuse injuries and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Orthopedic surgeons generally address most of the musculoskeletal ailments including the likes of arthritis, trauma and congenital deformities, using both, the surgical as well as non-surgical methods.
Sports Medicine – The Correlation
Orthopedic sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with the surgical management of injuries, illness and other disorders related to sports.
According to the conventional way of practice of medicine, surgery has always been considered as the last resort to treat a particular problem. However, in the last few years, the use of surgical options has increased manifold, especially for situations like sports medicine. Orthopedic sports medicine has facilitated quick and result-oriented cure and treatment of ailments associated with sports in a highly efficient manner.
In fact, surgical sports medicine is one of the main nine subspecialties of the field of orthopedic surgery.
The Aspects
The important role of orthopedic sports medicine is highlighted by the fact that there are special organizations and programs dedicated to the purpose.
The American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication as well as fellowship. The AOSSM was originally established in 1972, as a national organization of orthopedic surgeons dedicated to sports medicine.
The most important role of AOSSM is to ensure health and safety at all levels of sport and facilitate extensive research in order to prevent and manage injury.
The practice of orthopedic sports medicine is generally involved in the treatment and cure of a series of disorder associated with sports. The main amongst these include knee and elbow surgery, along with minor and non-invasive surgeries carried out to rectify other issues.
Roles and Responsibilities
An individual functioning in the field of orthopedic sports medicine has to ensure that certain essential requirements and criteria are being met.
In this section, we list some of the main pointers in this context.
1. Ensure that proper educational qualification and further specialization has been achieved.
2. It is also important to ensure that the professionals involved in the field of orthopedic sports medicine have achieved the required accreditations and fellowships from the relevant organizations.
3. It is vital for these professionals to carry out regular research campaigns to facilitate the development of newer technologies and techniques in the field of orthopedic sports medicine.
4. Membership should also be sought to the significant research journals and publications, in order to be suitably informed about the relevant developments in orthopedic sports medicine.
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