Cutting-Edge Factor

Pranab Ghosh interviews Dr Deepak Chaudhary, director, Sports Injury Centre, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

Where can a sports medicine practitioner/doctor find employment?

Sports Authority of India (SAI), sports federations, corporate firms sponsoring teams, Central government agencies taking a keen interest in sport, such as the armed forces, Railways, and the paramilitary forces.

How important is the role of a sports medicine practitioner in the medical set-up in India?

A sports medicine expert is a great help in sports training, which gives the cutting-edge to a high-performance sportsperson. Also, with the huge impact of drugs in sport, players/athletes need to be constantly on their guard against any kind of inadvertent doping and closely check all supplements and nutrition they are consuming.

Experts can also aid in quick recovery from sports injuries and assist and assess high-performance training and recovery.

Who needs to consult a sports medicine doctor?

Sports medicine consultation can be offered to high-performance athletes, leisure athletes, fitness enthusiasts, the elderly population seeking to build their health, specially able athletes, children… in fact anyone seeking fitness and involved with sports.

What are the challenges facing the profession?

The biggest challenge faced today is the problem of doping and the specialist has to keep him/herself abreast of the latest developments in the field.

Also of particular interest is enhancing sports performance by using the knowledge of exercise physiology for evaluating the athlete and then working on the modifiable factors. Methods of treatment have changed in a big way with the use of physiotherapeutic modalities, exercise therapy, hydrotherapy, etc.

What is the future of sports medicine in the country?

The future of sports medicine lies in talent selection, helping in rapid recovery from injuries and predicting performance.

Author: HT Horizons

Date: 28th Jan., 2010

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