Hi guys! Welcome to resilientHer, a sports medicine blog! My mission is to empower female athletes to reach their full potential by promoting mental and physical wellbeing. I’ll be posting biweekly about fitness, science, mental health, and everything you need to know to maximize your athletic performance.

For my first blog post, I decided to start at step one: What is sports medicine?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, sports medicine is the “application of scientific research and practice to the optimization of health and athletic performance.” Put simply, it’s the aspect of medical science that deals with athletics.

Sports medicine is a broad field consisting of multiple specialties, including orthopedics and cardiology. While doctors play a significant role in an athlete’s treatment team, they are far from the only members. In fact, sports medicine encompasses a wide variety of allied health professionals, including physical therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians, sports psychologists, and chiropractors. A multidisciplinary team supports the diverse needs of athletes to keep them physically and mentally healthy to keep them at the top of their game.

In clinical settings, sports medicine professionals support athletes in the prevention and treatment of injuries, strength and conditioning, proper fueling, and mental resilience. Behind the scenes, countless scientists conduct research on improving clinical procedures and helping athletes reach peak performance levels. While they aren’t recognized as often as clinical specialists, they play an essential role in furthering sports medicine. We’ll be featuring both professionals on this blog and interviewing them about what motivates them to pursue this work, their experiences, and advice for aspiring athletes.

Now, you may be wondering: why does this matter to me? Why do I need to stay informed about sports medicine when there are professionals who can do that for me?

Because when you’re studying sports medicine, you’re learning how your body works, what it can do for you, and how to take care of it. You’re learning how to stay mentally fit, keep your mind healthy, and tame your inner demons. You’re learning how to stay ahead of your game to achieve your goals, whether you’re a weekend warrior or an Olympic hopeful.

Because as cliche as it seems, knowledge is power. And you deserve that power to pursue your passion – your sport.

In the next post, I’ll be discussing the benefits of cross-training, and tips to get the most out of your training time. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts and any feedback you have.

I hope you all have a great rest of your week!