Doctors of Sports Medicine

What is a sports medicine doctor? Is there such a specialty?

Anyone can call themselves a "Sports Medicine" specialist, and this can be very misleading. In the United States, "sports medicine" is not a recognized residency training specialty. However, a doctor can achieve special qualifications in sports medicine AFTER completing a residency program in another specialty.

Any final words of advice?

Remember, anyone who claims to be a sports medicine doctor may or may not have done additional training in sports medicine. This does not necessarily mean they are incapable of treating your condition, because many doctors become proficient on their own. However, if you don't have a good recommendation to go by, you may want to locate a certified sports medicine physician. Contacting one of the above organizations is a good start. When you call a doctor's office, you may also want to ask the following questions:

• What is the doctor's main board certification in?
• Did the doctor complete a sports medicine fellowship? If so, where?
• For primary care doctors only: Does he/she also have the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in sports medicine? Remember, such an exam does not exist for orthopedic surgeons, but you can ask if the surgeon did a surgical fellowship in sports medicine, shoulder, foot/ankle, etc.