{"id":20223,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/sports-medicine-in-primary-care-essential-strategies-for-professional-and-elite-athletes\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:36","slug":"sports-medicine-in-primary-care-essential-strategies-for-professional-and-elite-athletes","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/sports-medicine-in-primary-care-essential-strategies-for-professional-and-elite-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Medicine in Primary Care: Essential Strategies for Professional and Elite Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Family physicians have assumed a prominent role in the care of professional and elite athletes. These patients are in search of doctors who can balance high level performance while also protecting their long term health, which requires knowledge beyond injury care. Primary caregivers are able to provide multidisciplinary care through nutrition and metabolizm screening as well as mental health supporting. Developments in sports medicine offers GPs new approaches to safely optimize performance and minimize post retirement complications.To synthesize clinically relevant sports medicine research published between 2023-2025 and highlight practical strategies applicable to routine primary care practice.A narrative review sourced from peer-reviewed literature between\u20022023\u20132025 was performed, through a search using sports medicine journals. We prioritized systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials and expert consensus statements. We focused on 6 domains essential to comprehensive athlete care: injury prevention, training load management, recovery strategies, nutritional optimization, mental health support, and cardiovascular screening.Research suggests that a preventive and personalised attitude in the care of\u2002athletes is justified. Innovated wearable technology detects overtraining and subclinical exhaustion, before materializing\u2002into injury. NMT\u2002programs, in low musculoskeletal sports, achieved a decrease in injury rates. Nutritional strategies focusing\u2002on optimal protein intake, periodized carbohydrate availability, and targeting of common deficiencies (especially iron, vitamin D) assist in recovery and enhance performance. Literature has identified that sleep and mental health screening are\u2002equally important to injury risk and performance. Cardiovascular screening remains essential for identifying asymptomatic pathology in athletes.Family physicians are essential for the management of professional athletes being able\u2002to deliver ongoing care, long-term follow-up, also understanding medical and psychosocial backgrounds. Incorporating modern sports medicine\u2002knowledge into common practice enables GPs to facilitate performance enhancement while adding assessment of mental health, lifestyle issues and potential future concerns. This methodology validates the necessity of primary care as the cornerstone and a responsible approach to provide care for athletes.Family doctors\u2002offer sports medicine care by maintaining long-term health, also achieving short-term performance goals. Implementing\u2002modern approaches into standard practice, are a reliable ally during an athlete\u2019s competitive life and provide ongoing support, solidifying its position as the corner stone of sustainable performance and long term wellness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20223","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}