The role of orthopaedic surgery in sports medicine.

Orthopaedic surgery must play a significant role in the development of sports medicine as a viable academic discipline. Potential areas in which orthopaedic surgery can specifically contribute to such an evolution are discussed. Particular areas include skeletal development, the role of athletics on skeletal growth and trauma response, the mechanics of specific sports and the predisposition of specific sports to certain injury patterns, the role of muscle physiology and muscle stimulation in rehabilitation, and differing responses of the male and female skeletal system. Each of these areas is discussed in detail.