Leon Creaney responds to Des Spence

Throughout his article entitled “Bad medicine: sports medicine,” Spence criticises global corporations making footwear and sports drinks, sports scientists, athletes and coaches, physiotherapists, podiatrists, and sports surgeons, but nowhere does he consider sports medicine itself.1 To label sports medicine as bad medicine is wildly inaccurate when much of current sports medicine practice has been ignored.

Sport and exercise medicine was established as the newest medical specialty in the UK in 2005 by parliament, has a faculty in the Royal College of Physicians of London, as well as a curriculum approved by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians’ Training Board and General Medical Council, with 64 specialist trainees in training …