Sports medicine is the field of medicine that treats sports-related injuries and many other issues regarding those involved in sports. A sports medicine physician works with athletes to prevent injury and illness, and to improve health and fitness. This specialist promotes the prevention of injury, and is knowledgeable in cardiology, orthopedics, exercise physiology, nutrition, psychology, emergency medicine, and other fields.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Spinal Stenosis, Spinal Injury, Spinal Infection, Scoliosis, Tendonitis, Spondylolisthesis, Spinal Discectomy, arthritis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Bursitis of the Hip, Spinal Deformity, Spinal Cord Tumors, Herniated Disc, Arthritis of the Shoulder, Tendinitis of the Wrist, Concussion, Frozen Shoulder, Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), Bunions, and Torn ACL.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including cartilage transplant, Back / Spine Surgery , Hand surgery, Knee replacement, Hip Replacement, Disc Disease / Surgery, limb lengthening, Invasive Disc Surgery, Hip Surgery, shoulder surgery, Kyphosis Surgery, knee surgery, Joint Surgery, and Total Shoulder Replacement.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Arthroscopy, x-ray, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), musculoskeletal examination, physicial examination, and Cardiac Examination.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Indiana has 123 practicing sports medicine doctors. Broken out by city, sports medicine doctor density in Alexandria is 1, in Anderson is 5, in Angola is 4, in Arcadia is 1, in Avon is 15, in Batesville is 1, in Bedford is 2, in Bloomington is 4, in Bluffton is 4, in Carmel is 6, in Chesterton is 1, in Columbia City is 4, in Crawfordsville is 1, in Crown Point is 1, in Danville is 1, in Decatur is 4, in Demotte is 1, in Elkhart is 3, in Elwood is 2, in Evansville is 11, in Fishers is 1, in Floyds Knobs is 1, in Fort Wayne is 7, in Franklin is 1, in Gary is 2, in Granger is 1, in Greenfield is 2, in Greenwood is 1, in Hobart is 1, in Holland is 1, in Huntington is 4, in Indianapolis is 41, in Jasper is 2, in Kendallville is 4, in Kokomo is 2, in La Porte is 2, in Lafayette is 2, in Linton is 1, in Merrillville is 1, in Middlebury is 2, in Mishawaka is 3, in Monticello is 1, in Mooresville is 2, in Muncie is 10, in Munster is 4, in Nappanee is 2, in Nashville is 1, in New Albany is 1, in New Castle is 2, in Newburgh is 5, in Noblesville is 6, in North Manchester is 4, in Notre Dame is 3, in Plymouth is 1, in Portland is 1, in Princeton is 3, in Richmond is 2, in Rockport is 1, in Saint John is 1, in Schererville is 1, in Shelbyville is 1, in South Bend is 7, in Sullivan is 1, in Tell City is 1, in Terre Haute is 4, in Vincennes is 1, in Warsaw is 4, in West Lafayette is 1, and in Winchester is 2.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.