[What is currently available for sport medicine therapy?]

After 30 years of age physical capacity decreases with increasing age by 5-20% per decade. High physical activity in daily life as well as exercise training of endurance, strength, coordination and mobility can delay the functional and anatomical loss of muscle, bone, cartilage and connective tissue by more than 10 years. In recent years, numerous concepts have scientifically been proven in the exercise therapy of internal diseases; therefore, similar to drug treatment, cellular mechanisms of exercise training adaptation are known in detail. With this knowledge the type, dose and intensity of exercise training can be defined in such a way that the targeted use of physical training can achieve health benefits similar to the effects achieved by drugs. This applies to the cardiovascular system, lungs, cancer, metabolic diseases and the immune system. In exercise training therapy of patients, individual exercise programs should be defined in a way that the contents of endurance, strength, coordination and mobility address all health and personal concerns of the patient. For sustained effects and high motivation, the individual and disease-specific definition of exercise programs as well as regular monitoring are necessary. The prescription for movement as well as the prescriptions for sports rehabilitation and functional training incorporate important assistance in this context.