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776 BCE
First Olympic Games in Ancient Greece
The origins of organized sports and competition marked beginning of sports-medicine related injuries and need for basic care -
5 BCE
Father of Sports-Medicine
First person to combine Sports with medicine was Herodicus, a 5th century BC physician. Without him, who knows where sports may be today. -
2 BCE
Galen's Contributes
Galen, during a time that touching wasn't allowed, provided early insights into anatomy by using dead bodies. He began the layering of sports medicine. -
Pasteur published Germ Theory
Chemist Louis Pasteur developed, discovered and published his findings in 1861. His discovery of microorganisms causing disease impacted public health and led to government intervention that greatly improved all scientific schools. They began to focus on treatments, vaccines and cures rather than prevention and began studying more in depth on illness. This work all deeply influenced the medical care done by Sports-Medicine oriented professionals. -
First school to have PE
It was not until 1885 that schools introduced PE as a new program for children. It showed emphasis on the importance of exercising as children and helped create healthier habits. -
Official Registration
Physiotherapists were given OFFICIAL registration by the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden. This formalized practice in Sports-Medicine related topics. This registration also inspired the Charted Society of Physiotherapy, all to make topics in sports-medicine better explored and connected. -
Charted Society of Physiotherapy
The society provides a range of services; learning and practicing physiotherapy, and supports its members to strive to become better. This society was able to better connect professionals around the UK and offers them benefits which allows more people to study physiotherapy. -
Period: to
First International Olympic Games
The renewal of the Olympic Games first begun in 1896 increased the wide-spread effect of sports and participation in sports. Increased a need for medical professionals and training worldwide. -
First Sports Medicine Establishment
The world's first sports medicine establishment takes place in Dresden, Germany. Promoted the importance of sports medicine and the study of it. -
Polio Epidemic
The Polio outbreak first beginning in 1916 created a new need for research into the way the disease worked and how to cure it. One of the methods they used was physical therapy. Polio spurred a newfound need for research physical therapists to help those sick. This increase in research led to lots of new knowledge concerning Polio which physical therapists can use to this day. -
First Sports Medicine Journal
The First Sports Medicine Journal was published in 1922 by the French Society. Important to Sports Medicine to document techniques and other experiences. -
AV Hill Nobel Peace Prize
Dr. Hill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for research on production of heat in muscles. This research allowed doctors and physical therapists to better understand how the human body works. -
The Harvard Fatigue Lab
Founded to study the psychological, physiological, and sociological stresses on humans, and apply that to better understanding relevant problems. Important to the sports-medicine world to better understand how activity can affect the body and the risks they produce. -
FISM
Founded to prevent athletic injuries, The International Federation of Sports Medicine helps maximize the performance of athletes and promoted the use of physicians in sports-related in the Olympics. -
Dr. Matthews Performs First Knee Arthroscopy
Marked a historical breakthrough in diagnosing and treating knee injuries, revolutionized sports medicine. -
NATA
National Association of Testing Authorities:
Created to help advance quality of healthcare around the world, allowed athletes to recover much quicker and for discovered information to be shared quicker. -
American College of Sports Medicine
The ACSM was established to educate students in sports medicine and promote American research in sports-medicine related areas. The college devotes themselves to the preventing, treatment and care of sports injuries. They were the first sports-medicine college based in America and allowed students to practice professionally. -
1968 Olympics
Canada became the first country to travel with a team of doctors. Further encouraged other countries to do the same and to take the health and wellness of athletes seriously. -
Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine
The Academy's mission is to forge a strong voice for Sports Medicine, and was created because of medical problems in the Summer Olympics in Mexico. Important to Sports Medicine for more groups to bring awareness. -
American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine
Founded to promote research and discuss sports medicine uses in the future. This group works with several specialists to improve treatment, rehabilitation and more in sports. -
Development of Cryotherapy
The use of "cold therapy" soon became a common practice in sports medicine for reducing inflammation and reducing pain. Important for so many sports related injuries. (First used in the 1900s, but "invented" by the Japense in 1978). -
ISSA
The International Sports Science Association was founded in response to the growing demand for certified fitness trainers, an important program to sports-medicine to let people have easy access to learning important medical skills. -
WADA
The World Anti-Doping Agency began the widespread movement for doping-free sports. It makes the sports played by professionals much more fair, and contributed to sports medicine to understand how doping works and how to test for it. -
FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program
This Medical Assessment and Research program was launched to merge injury risk-reducing exercises with warm-up protocols to reduce the likelihood of injuries in sub-elite and amateur players. This contributed to sports medicine with the testing of how this program could help athletes all over the world. -
Zachary Lysted Law:
The Zachary Lysted Law forces players with possible or diagnosed concussions to wait until cleared by a medical professional. This allowed athletes to recover and come back much stronger, which is important to sports medicine to lower the risks of future injury.