Exercise medicine

Exercise medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the prevention and treatment of injuries and illness with exercise. In some countries, Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) is a recognized medical specialty (with similar training and standards to other medical specialties). Exercise medicine is therefore an emerging physician (non-surgical) specialty, but there is also a belief that exercise is treatment of such fundamental benefit that it should be incorporated into all medical specialties. Allied health practitioners also can specialize in exercise such as exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, athletic trainers and podiatrists.

Whereas the signature treatment of the specialty of surgery is operative procedures, and the signature treatment of most medical (physician) specialties is the prescription of pharmaceuticals, the signature treatment of Sport and Exercise Medicine is exercise prescription. SEM physician consultations are generally lengthy (over 30 minutes) and 74% involve prescription of exercise, with exercise prescription being the most common treatment.