New vision for health promotion within sports medicine.

Providing medical care for the treatment and prevention of injuries and health problems for competitive or recreational athletes is the most widely recognized role of sports medicine. However, the field is much broader and includes clinical practice and research in many areas related to physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Sports medicine and exercise science involve not only physicians and other licensed health care practitioners but also physiologists, social scientists, epidemiologists, kinesiologists, and other public health and medical professionals. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that a physically active lifestyle is important for optimal health. A key role of sports medicine is to focus the attention of a wide variety of health professionals, educators, and policy makers on developing and implementing strategies to help more individuals enjoy the many health-promoting benefits of regular physical activity.