Sports and exercise medicine

Our sports and exercise medicine doctors treat sports injuries and muscle, bone and joint problems without surgery, and they use exercise to improve your health. In Dubai, our Sports Medicine and Rehab Centre brings physicians, physiotherapists and therapists together, with services such as running gait analysis.

What is sports and exercise medicine?

Sports and exercise medicine is the branch of medicine that diagnoses and treats problems of the muscles, bones and joints, from sports injuries to everyday overuse. These doctors work without surgery: much of this care is carried out by physicians with special training, rather than by surgeons, and they refer you to orthopaedic surgery when an operation is needed. They also prescribe exercise itself, using physical activity to help prevent and manage conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

When should you see a sports and exercise medicine doctor?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• A sports injury that isn't settling with rest
• Joint, muscle or tendon pain that keeps coming back
• Pain that gets worse during or after exercise
• An old injury that limits your training or daily life
• Headache, dizziness or feeling dazed after a knock to the head in sport
• A long-term health condition you'd like to manage with safe, structured exercise

A suspected broken bone, or a limb that has changed shape or is pointing at an odd angle, needs emergency care: go to your nearest emergency department.

Many people see a sports and exercise medicine doctor to prevent injury, improve how they perform, or start exercising safely alongside a health condition. Whether you need a referral first can depend on your insurance plan, so it's worth checking your cover.

What to expect

At your first appointment, the doctor asks about your injury or your goals, how you train, and how the problem affects your day. They examine the area and watch how you move. Many people have an ultrasound scan in the same visit, because it shows muscles and tendons as they move, and an X-ray or MRI is arranged when the doctor needs a clearer view of bone or deeper tissue.

Treatment usually starts without surgery. That might mean a rehabilitation exercise programme, changes to your training to take load off the injury, or a guided injection to settle pain. If an operation is likely to help, the doctor refers you to orthopaedic surgery. Your doctor talks you through the choices and agrees the next step with you.

Sports and exercise medicine at Mediclinic

In Dubai, our Sports Medicine and Rehab Centre at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital brings sports and exercise medicine physicians, physiotherapists and therapists together in one place. There, we run our own running gait analysis and concussion management, and we offer treatments such as shockwave therapy for stubborn tendon problems, along with sport-specific clinics for runners and golfers.

Our sports and exercise medicine team at Mediclinic City Hospital cares for people with sports injuries, overuse problems and long-term pain. When recovery needs more than one speciality, they work with colleagues in orthopaedic surgery and other departments. Across our Dubai hospitals we also use exercise as treatment, prescribing activity programmes that help you manage long-term conditions such as diabetes, raised blood pressure and obesity.