title: The Role of the Family Physician in Sports Medicine.
abstract: In brief: Sports medicine is often considered an orthopedic subspecialty, but family physicians represent the grass roots of athletic care. Millions of competitive and recreational athletes from all age-groups turn to family physicians with their sports-related problems. In this round-table discussion we asked four physicians to talk about the role of the family practitioner in providing comprehensive care, prescribing exercise, and functioning as team physician and educator. They also discuss ethics, the preparticipation screening exam, sources of sports medicine information, and a sports medicine curriculum.