Everyone knows that staying active is essential for keeping the body healthy. But when an acute injury or ongoing pain disturbs your active performance -- whether you're a professional athlete or amateur enthusiast -- sports medicine is a great option to help get you back on track and prevent unexpected problems in the future.
People today realise the importance of physical fitness and engage more regularly in exercise and sport. Injuries related to sports and exercise are increasing as a result. Sports medicine, a well-established profession with a long history in the health sciences, focuses on physical fitness in order to increase performance and, at the same time, treat and prevent injuries related to sports and exercise.
According to the 2017-2023 Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, the global market value of sports medicine in 2016 reached US$6.6 billion (208 billion baht). It is estimated that in 2023 the market value will increase to $11.2 billion and continue to grow.
Dr Alisara Arirachakaran, orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine & arthroscopy physician at VitalLife Wellness Center, Bumrungrad International Hospital, said that sports medicine and healthy lifestyle services are on the rise in line with current exercise trends.
"Today, treatments are available for musculoskeletal injuries related to exercise and sports," she explained. "Patient bone structure can be analysed to design exercise programmes that can prevent future injuries. Specialists can also apply holistic approaches for patients to prevent injury and treat diseases, enabling them to get back to their active routines."
Given that Thailand is an ageing society, there are an increasing amount of sports-related medical treatments tailored specifically to elderly patients, helping improve their quality of life and allowing them to age gracefully.
"Elderly people often have osteoporosis, knee pain and joint pain, which can impact their mobility and lifestyles tremendously," Dr Alisara added. "A spectrum of joint preservation treatments is provided, from conservative treatments to full-scale joint-preserving surgery. Customised physiotherapy treatments are also available to help patients recover from joint pain and carry out their daily activities as normally as possible.
"Also available are personalised corrective exercise programmes that help patients improve their muscular strength, balance, and proprioception, which reduces the risk of falling."
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