Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Our sports medicine and rehabilitation teams bring together doctors and allied-health therapists across our hospitals in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. We treat sport and exercise injuries without surgery, and we help you get back to daily life after an injury, an operation, a stroke or a long-term condition.

What is sports medicine and rehabilitation?

Sports medicine and rehabilitation does two connected jobs. Sport and exercise medicine doctors diagnose and treat injuries from sport and exercise without surgery, and use exercise to improve health. Rehabilitation helps you rebuild strength and get moving again after an injury, an operation or a stroke. Much of this care comes from allied-health therapists, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Orthopaedic surgeons handle the injuries that need an operation, and your team often supports you over weeks or months.

When should you see a specialist?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• A sports injury that will not settle
• Pain that limits your training or daily activities
• Trouble regaining movement after an injury or surgery
• Swelling, weakness or stiffness in a joint that is not improving
• Heel or foot pain that keeps coming back
• Difficulty with walking, speech or swallowing after a stroke

If you think you have broken a bone during sport, or an injured joint or limb has changed shape, seek emergency care and go to the emergency department.

If you want to return to sport safely, get fit again after a long break, or manage a long-term condition through exercise, a sports and exercise medicine doctor can guide you. In the UAE you can often book physiotherapy or a sports medicine appointment directly, and many people come on referral from another doctor after surgery or a hospital stay.

What to expect

At your first appointment, the doctor or therapist asks about your injury or goal, your general health and how the problem affects your day. They watch how you move, and may check your strength, balance and the way you walk. Imaging such as an X-ray, ultrasound or MRI scan is arranged on referral, when it will change your treatment rather than as a routine first step.

Most care is non-surgical. You'll usually follow a tailored exercise and rehabilitation programme, supported by hands-on therapy, advice on activity and load, and sometimes an injection or an orthotic (a supportive insole). Where an injury needs surgery, the team refers you and guides your recovery afterwards. Your team agrees clear goals with you and reviews your progress, adjusting the plan as you improve.

Sports medicine and rehabilitation at Mediclinic

Our sports medicine and rehabilitation services run across our hospitals in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Sport and exercise medicine doctors work alongside physiotherapists and rehabilitation teams to treat injuries and guide recovery without surgery. At Mediclinic Parkview Hospital in Dubai, our Sports Medicine and Rehab Centre brings this care together with services such as gait analysis, sports therapy and concussion management. Our team at Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai cares for athletes and for people living with long-term musculoskeletal (muscle and joint) pain. At Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital in Abu Dhabi, rehabilitation medicine doctors work with occupational therapists and speech therapists to support recovery after a stroke.