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Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) is the medical specialty which focuses on the importance of exercise and physical activity to improve and maintain health, wellbeing, and quality of life. It seeks to help prevent, treat and manage common, chronic and often serious medical conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, cancers, stroke, obesity, frailty, dementia, low back pain, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, mental illness and diabetes. It builds on knowledge from Internal Medicine, studying injury assessment, management and rehabilitation, including emergency and acute care, musculoskeletal medicine and chronic disease management, at the individual and population level. It involves care of athletes and teams, including anti-doping, exercise psychology, nutrition, biomechanics, exercise physiology and physical activity for specific populations. An important part of SEM is the promotion and incorporation of safe and effective exercise and physical activity into the daily lives of all community members, whether healthy or unwell, old or young, or elite sporting professionals. This field of medicine has over-lapping and collaborative practice with other medical fields including rehabilitation medicine, General Practice, Public Health Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, Accident and Emergency Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Geriatric Medicine, Neurology and Radiology. It involves the delivery of comprehensive musculoskeletal (MSK) services, managing school aged children, adults and older adults, including those with co-morbidities and chronic disease. It is practiced in hospitals, out in the community, and in collaboration with primary and allied health care services.

Sport and Exercise Medicine Jobs

Sport and Exercise Physicians support and promote population and individual health through physical activity. They work with high performance sportspeople and with the general population, including the elderly and children, those engaged in recreational sport or manual work, and those suffering chronic disease or in recovery after injury or illness. They work with people who are suffering from a range of health conditions such as trauma, sprains and fractures, rheumatic disease, endocrine and metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, or disability, and help them incorporate safe and appropriate levels of physical activity into their daily life to improve their health outcomes. They assess injuries and medical histories and use pathology and medical imaging investigations to form a diagnoses and tailor management plans to suit the patient, considering their medical and psychosocial needs. They are involved in leadership, and governance, including delivery of comprehensive musculoskeletal clinics, multi-disciplinary team management, and integration of medical and non-medical services. They facilitate patient care in collaboration with other medical specialists, such as orthopaedic surgeons, rehabilitation physicians or rheumatologists, primary care physicians, specialist Nurse Practitioners, and allied health professionals including physiotherapists, podiatrists and nutritionists. Sports and Exercise Physicians work in hospitals, private clinics, and community settings. Some work on and off field with sports teams, educating athletes on anti-doping protocols, supplement use and performance pressures. To pursue a career in this field, doctors complete foundation and core training, followed by a minimum 4-years of specialist training in Sports and Exercise medicine, entered from ST3, which leads to a CCT, Membership of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (MFSEM), and specialty registration with the GMC.

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Registrars (Sport and Exercise Medicine) are registered doctors who have completed their medical degree, foundation and core training. They can apply for specialty registrar positions, or positions at ST3+ level, and broaden and refine their scope of practice and gain experience, skills and competency in their chosen area of medicine. Registrars are very important members of the integrated and multi-disciplinary health care team. They have increasing responsibility for patient care, oversee and support junior doctors and staff, participate in professional development activities and continue to receive important guidance, training, and support from senior staff. Registrars who are undertaking posts in Sport and Exercise Medicine work under senior physicians and develop procedural skills and clinical expertise in providing medical care to patients with conditions relating to their medical specialty.

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Physiotherapists