EFSMA’s main goal is to promote and develop Sports Medicine in the whole Europe, working expressly for the recognition of it as a primary specialty in every single Country of the European Union.
Sports Medicine is a multidisciplinary clinical and academic specialty, recognized by the majority of the European Union Countries, which mainly deals with health protection, promotion and prevention of both sporting elite athletes and of general population which takes part in all sports.
Indeed, there is a strong relationship between physical activity and health. Physical activity is essential for good health and quality of life, and it exerts a positive influence on muscular-skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, hormonal-immunological, hematological, neuro-sensory and gastrointestinal systems.
Sports Medicine has a substantial impact on all the above points raised, because it stimulates and promotes a “physically active lifestyle and diagnosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation following injuries or illnesses, resulting from participation to physical activities, exercises and sport at all levels” (Chapter 6, Charter on Training of Medical Specialists in the EU).
It is mainly focused on:
Prevention of chronic diseases caused by sedentary lifestyle
Creation of health education activities, focused on, for example, fight against smoking, alcohol and abuse or misuse of drugs
Pre-participation clinical screening and examination before exercise and competition as well as medical assistance to the athletes engaged in all sports
Special medical issues associated with international sporting events of athletes, including disabled athletes
Scientific research and practical experience in all Sports Medicine’ fields, integrating different disciplines and involving several professionals with different backgrounds.
It is clear therefore the fundamental importance of Sports Medicine, as a specialty which encompasses an array of different areas including, among others, internal medicine, exercise physiology, cardiology, orthopaedics and traumatology, rehabilitation medicine etc…, and integrates, in the most efficient way, teams composed by different professionals, such as physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches, sport scientists, nutritionists, psychologists, athletes and other related experts.
In conclusion, in order to have the guarantee of a unified and professional approach to any issue encountered in the field of Sports, Sports Medicine must be recognized in every European Country; at it is exactly for this challenge that EFSMA fights for every day.