Many people think of sports medicine as merely the treatment of athletic injuries.
In fact the field of sports medicine has evolved to provide guidance for multiple different sports related areas, such as injury prevention, conditioning, and proper sports equipment. In the 1960's when sports in America began to receive much more national media attention, the injuries the athletes received also were under greater scrutiny. One of the goals of sports medicine was a better understanding of how the injuries occurred and what treatment options were available. In sports medicine the physician wants to keep the athlete participating in the sport safely while still allowing the injury to heal. Also, when a more serious injury occurs, newer diagnostic techniques such as MRI scans have aided greatly in early diagnosis and better treatment planning.