Abstract
The aims of medicine in sport--treatment and prevention of injury of high-performance athletes, rehabilitation--and its beneficial effects are considered. The types of sporting injuries are described. Collision and contact sports tend to be characterised by injuries caused by direct or indirect trauma, while athletic injuries tend to result from a variety of factors that, instead of producing excellence as intended, produce injury. The physiological changes in a top-class sportsman may also be characteristic of disease, making diagnosis of injury difficult. The importance of the sportsman's mental attitude is stressed.