Overview

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Fix the world one sprain at a time.

Description

They say that athletes' bodies are finely tuned machines. How did they get that way? Diet, exercise, practice, and genetics. How do they stay that way? Super powers, probably.

Ever see Superman go to the doctor for a herniated disc? No, of course you don't.

But, in the off chance that you don't have Wolverine healing powers, sports medicine specialists can be quite useful.

See, exercise is very good for you, but too much can be harmful. Athletes are all about pushing the limits of the human body. Sportswriters often use superhero-like language to describe them. The problem is that physics and biology like to get in the way of us all feeling like Captain America.

Sometimes athletes get hurt. This shouldn't be news to anyone who watches sports. Players are always coming down with one thing or another, and most sports fans have a passing familiarity with the most common injuries. Say the words "ACL tear" in front of a sports fan and see what happens.

Sports, especially professional sports, is a big industry. Keeping athletes in or on the field/court/diamond/gridiron/terrordome/Hunger Games arena is extremely important to a lot of wealthy people. This means minimizing the effects of injuries, treating them when they do happen, and supervising the path to the quickest and most effective rehab plan.

That's where sports medicine comes in. This is the specialized field of dealing with the injuries athletes are prone to and dealing with them at every stage. If athletes are fine-tuned sports cars, then sports doctors are the mechanics who keep those engines purring at top efficiency.

Don't think of sports medicine as a place for failed athletes. That would be mean and inaccurate. This is a calling all its own. It's a way to assist athletes in doing all the insane stuff fans demand of them. You'll help make sure their bodies don't give up along the way.

Maybe you're a sports fan with an affinity for how the human body works. This is a great destination for you. You travel with the team, watch the games, and get to interact with the athletes one on one. You're probably the only one they'll listen to and you'll be their first stop after any injury, no matter how slight. It's nice to feel needed, no?

There are a lot of professional, collegiate, and amateur teams, organizations, and leagues that need your help. You'll get to pick and choose. It's like being a mechanic and only servicing Maseratis. Just instead of some of the nicest cars in the world, you'll work with some of the most high-performing human bodies on the planet. You'll also use different tools than a mechanic would.

For example, socket wrenches are not for shoulder sockets. Please, put that down.

Famous People who majored in Sports Medicine

• Daniel D. Buss, orthopedic surgeon
• Brian J. Cole, professor in orthopedics at Rush University
• Darren L. Johnson, chairman of orthopedic surgery at University of Kentucky
• Marc Safran, orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University
• Russell F. Warren, team physician for the New York Giants

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