The Hindu Business Line : Are you game?

You now see a smiling Lakshmipathy Balaji taking the wickets of Pakistani batsmen. But barely five months ago, he was anything but cheerful. A groin injury — in medical terms osteitis pubis — had threatened to mar his career.

Balaji knew that the more he stayed away from the game, less were his chances of a comeback. He was aware of the big challenge that lay before him. So did his support staff, including Dr Kannan Pugazhendi and fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan. With the paceman co-operating fully, he became 40-50 per cent fit in three months' time, and completely fit in the following two months. "It could not have been possible without Balaji's motivation and focus," says Pugazhendi.

Treating Balaji was "tricky", says Pugazhendi, who runs a programme for physiotherapists at the YMCA College of Physical Education, Chennai. He says that he had to make sure "Balaji's return was not premature, and at the same time, the rehabilitation did not take too long. We were expected to perform against all odds."

Indian sportspersons — mostly cricketers — rush to foreign countries whenever they have an injury of a serious nature, or for expert guidance. Sachin Tendulkar flew to Adelaide to treat a niggling tennis elbow; Javagal Srinath (now retired) rushed to a cricket academy in Melbourne to set right his throwing arm, caused by a rotatory cuff tear.

Even though surgeons like Anant Joshi continue to treat injured sportspersons, the concept of sports medicine in India, unfortunately, has not really taken off.

Given a scenario where a sports coach doubles as aphysio, trainer and psychologist, the reason why sports medicine has not taken root in the country is not far to seek. Many a local or national-level sportsperson has been forced to stop playing due to a debilitating injury or psychological problems. Guidance, in most cases, is available only at a premium.

Reigning national table tennis champion S. Raman (34) says he might have won a few more national titles had he known how to tackle recurrent injuries. Sports medicine is the need of the hour, as also sports academies to benefit Indian sportspersons, he says.

For starters, the sports medicine team is a pyramid, with a sports medicine doctor (orthopaedic surgeon) at the helm, and a physio, trainer, nutritionist, psychologist and biomechanist under him. There are very few universities and colleges that offer courses in sports medicine; the National Institute of Sports in Patiala offers a two-year post-graduate diploma in sports medicine for MBBS graduates. Apollo College of Physiotherapy in Hyderabad offers a Fellowship course; Chennai's YMCA College of Physical Education has a programme for physiotherapists, while the Manipal Academy of Higher Education offers a Masters in Physiotherapy.

But are there enough job opportunities? What is the future for sports medicine as a full-fledged career?

There are no instant answers. As many as 30 colleges offer a Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy (BPT) in Tamil Nadu alone, but there are few colleges that have a master's programme. Eligible candidates should either be sportspersons or possess a keen interest in sports and games.

Currently, only cricket, to some extent, engages the services of sports medicine experts, says Pugazhendi.

As the ground reality suggests, most are orthopaedic surgeons who, due to their keen interest and knowledge/background in sports, involve themselves in sports surgeries, while physios and trainers are either self-made or failed athletes who do it part-time. Hande Hospital in Chennai has opened a Sports Medicine Centre with qualified staff. However, Dr H. Krishna Hande feels that sports medicine is still at a nascent stage.

Since only a few in this country take to professional sports, it is "not commercially viable to take up sports medicine full time," says Basu, physical trainer of the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy team.

With more people showing interest, the fitness industry has seen a substantial growth. As a result, trainers like Ramji Srinivasan — who enrolled for a specialised fitness course in Australia — are evolving into such specialist roles. However, the absence of such programmes in India is viewed as a major drawback.

None of the national teams (except cricket) has a travelling physio or trainer. There is growing opinionthat the governing bodies for various sports in the country should initiate suitable steps.

Says Hande, "To make sports medicine more relevant, associations should provide job opportunities and parents must encourage their children to take sports as a career."

"More than job opportunities, there are tremendous work opportunities," says Prof Bakhtiar Choudhary, Director, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. He feels that sports medicine, as is practised now, is "more about injury rehabilitation."

Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Director, West Bengal Association of Sports Medicine, says, "Infrastructure is lacking in sports medicine, which is "the basic requirement for every sports unit." But while he believes sports medicine has a bright future in India, Dr Manabendra Bhattacharya, Scientific Officer, Sports Medicine, Sports Authority of India, Delhi, says, "It is not economically viable to take it up as a profession."

Though there is a need for sports medicine, Bhattacharya says it will take at least 5-10 years for this profession to become lucrative. Organisations such as the Railways and Petroleum Boards, who employ sportspersons in large numbers, do not have enough sports doctors. By recruiting candidates with good track record, a demand can be created, says Bhattacharya.

Picture by Bijoy Ghosh

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