System of Medical Support and Rehabilitation in the Physical Culture and Sports: Current State, Problems and Possibilities

A research was carried out in order to found out the problems of the present system of medical support and rehabilitation applicable to physical culture and sports in the Russian Federation. The results of in-depth expert interviews with three groups of interviewees allowed to evaluate the system and to propose recommendations for its improvement. The study involved physicians, health experts, as well as people involved in mass and professional sports. Several tasks were set: to identify and analyze the best foreign practices of organizing medical support in the physical culture and sports; to consider the practice of organizing medical support in Moscow; to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the medical system of support to people who are engaged in sports, and to prepare recommendations for system`s improvement. The proposed measures of improving the system of medical support and rehabilitation in physical culture and sports relate to organizational and structural activities. Implementation of these measures will increase the accessibility of medical support and rehabilitation, will build a feedback system between sports federations and the medical staff of national teams and clubs, and will increase the speed of an athlete's return to a peak form. Two groups of recommendations are specified for people who are engaged in mass sports or physical culture, as well as for people who are engaged in high-performance sports.