A Sport and Exercise Physician is a specialist medical doctor who focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions related to physical activity, exercise, and sport.

Training & Scope

In Australia, Sport and Exercise Physicians complete medical school, general medical training, and then a minimum 4 years of advanced specialist training with the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP).

They are fully qualified medical specialists (like cardiologists or orthopaedic surgeons), but their focus is non-surgical management of musculoskeletal injuries, exercise medicine, and athlete health.

What we offer;

• Musculoskeletal care: Manage overuse injuries (e.g., stress fractures, tendinopathy, osteoarthritis), acute sporting injuries, and complex pain syndromes.

• Exercise prescription: Use exercise as medicine to treat or prevent chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cancer recovery).

• Medical issues in sport: Care for athletes with concussion, asthma, cardiac screening needs, or overtraining syndrome.

• Rehabilitation: Oversee return-to-play and performance optimisation after injury or illness.

• Population health: Work with both elite athletes and the general community to promote active lifestyles.

Key Differences from Other Practitioners

• Unlike orthopaedic surgeons, they usually we not operate — wefocus on non-surgical management.

• Unlike physiotherapists, we are medical doctors, able to order imaging, prescribe medications, perform injections (e.g., corticosteroid, platelet-rich plasma), and coordinate multidisciplinary care.

• Unlike general practitioners, our training is dedicated exclusively to sport, exercise, and musculoskeletal medicine at a specialist level.

Work Settings

• Elite sporting teams and professional athletes

• Private clinics and sports medicine centres

• Hospitals and multidisciplinary health services

• Research and academic roles in sports and exercise science

In short, a Sport and Exercise Physician is the medical specialist who bridges clinical medicine, exercise science, and performance health, managing both injuries and the broader medical benefits of physical activity.