The benefits of a sports medicine degree

Sports medicine degrees educate students in a specific field of medicine that examines athletes and the injuries that they experience during their sporting endeavours. Although sports medicine degrees are often lambasted as a waste of time and have been given the label of "Mickey Mouse degree", it is actually very important to learn and understand how the body functions under certain conditions and the best technique required to fix and prevent further ailments.

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine degrees work alongside sports science degrees at institutes designed to help treat and prevent injury and illness in sportsmen and women. This covers every aspect of the athlete, including their diet and nutrition, injury diagnosis and safety measures. It is important to develop a key understanding of the core aspects of the course, as each sport exerts a different stress and strain on the athlete's body and mind. Sports science Sports science focuses on the physiology, anatomy and psychology of sportsmen and women, in order to discover how these individual aspects impact on the body and how they can be tweaked to improve performance. Sports science investigates how to maximise the effect of exercise on the body, both in terms of sporting performance and general living and the best methods to employ when recovering from injury. Sports health Sports health concentrates on making sure that the body is in peak condition, in order to operate at its optimal level. A healthy body will function better than a poorly-treated one. Aspects of sports health include nutrition and hydration, ensuring that athletes fuel themselves correctly.

Sports first aid and safety

Sports first aid and safety is the study of essential first aid knowledge. This is a critical area to learn in case something goes wrong and emergency treatment is required. Aspects of safety can include an assertion as to whether an athlete is fit and able to continue in their sport, as well the proper use of sporting equipment such as helmets and pads. First aid and safety training can prevent serious or sometimes fatal injury occurring, ensuring the best sporting experience for all. Sports psychology Sporting prowess relies as much on the mind as it does the body and sports psychology focuses on the mental aspects of athletes. Mental health and welfare is a large contributor to successful sporting achievements. Concentration, motivation, goal setting, relaxation and stress-reduction all help an athlete produce their best performance. Conclusion Sports medicine degrees offer a vast array of important skills, not only as preparation for a career, but general working knowledge in everyday life.