Health organizations have issued a consensus statement concerning sports-related injuries and illnesses.
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Jamie Barrand | Jan 13, 2016

Health organizations issue consensus statement concerning sports-related injuries

Representatives from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine agree concerning the best practices for treating sports-related injuries and illnesses.

This announcement comes on the heels of the release of a new team physician consensus statement, "Selected Issues in Injury and Illness Prevention and the Team Physician." 

The statement includes recommendations for musculoskeletal injuries, head and neck injuries, heat illness, cardiovascular issues, equipment and injury reduction, in addition to modification and skin infections.

"This paper offers guidelines for practice in the areas of injury and illness most commonly seen by team physicians," Dr. Stanley Herring, chair of the project-based alliance, said. "It provides a roadmap of common issues facing medical professionals on the sidelines and in their offices."

The statement was published in the Jan. 2016 issue of Medicine & Science and the most recent issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports.

"The statements serve as a guide for physicians who provide sports medicine services in their community but may not have formal training in sports medicine," Dr. Jason Matuszak, sports medicine specialist, said. "We try to create a new or revise an existing statement each year."

Matuszak said the aim is to prevent sports-related injuries -- or at least lessen the frequency with which they occur.

"It's important to consider certain risk factors specific to each athlete, such as muscle weakness, inadequate rehabilitation from previous injury, balance difficulties, level of awareness or concentration and flexibility or lack thereof," he said.

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