A former athlete's leap to being a sports physician

Mapping niches

Physiotherapist giving back massage to female patient in clinicSports Physician 

Therapist treating injured knee of athlete male patient - sport physical therapy concept, panoramic bannerSports Physician 

Dr Kiran Kulkarni treating Bhaichung Bhutia 

As a young, budding gymnast from Dharwad, Kiran Kulkarni had been a national and all-India inter-university player. He had also represented India in the International Acrobatics Championship held at Burgas, Bulgaria in 1989.

But at the age of 20, things took a turn for the worse when he suffered a lumbar spine injury. What compounded the struggle was the lack of proper treatment. Though it became hard to pursue gymnastics after that, Kulkarni did not let his passion die. He merely channelled it elsewhere – instead of becoming a sportsman, he became a sports physician.

“As a national level athlete battling my own injuries, I wondered, ‘Why not become a specialist who treats such injuries?’” Dr Kulkarni says.

Sports medicine can only be pursued at the postgraduate level, so Dr Kulkarni completed his MBBS and then earned his PG Diploma in Sports Medicine from National Institute of Sports (NIS) and Government Medical College, Patiala in 1999.

Even today, NIS is the only institution in the whole country that offers a two-year PG diploma in sports medicine recognised by the Medical Council of India. All other colleges offer a three-year MD and one must earn either of these degrees to become a sports physician.

Sports medicine is a multidisciplinary speciality that deals with conservative treatment of sports injury, and involves aspects of anatomy and physiology, orthopaedics, obstetrics-gynaecology, paediatrics and emergency medicine, and sports science subjects such as sports anthropometry, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition.

But it is also a misnomer because they don’t just treat sportspersons. “As a sports and lifestyle medicine doctor, I treat every walking, running and jumping person. So everybody is an athlete!” Dr Kulkarni says.

According to him, there are a lot of recreational athletes who suffer from injuries. During the lockdown, many took to walking barefoot on the terrace and came down with severe heel pain. One could lift something heavy and experience a slipped disk or disk prolapse. “In such cases, an operative procedure is not the only solution. As a sports medicine physician, my job is to treat them conservatively in a non-operative manner.”

Dr Kiran took up sports medicine when it wasn’t a popular specialisation. “In 1997, nobody could imagine this profession. People, even in Karnataka Medical Council, told me they had never heard of it!” When he returned in 2000 with his PG Diploma, Sports Authority of Karnataka refused to give him a job befitting his degree. So he went back to Dharwad and set up his practice.

Over the past two decades, Dr Kulkarni has become one of the foremost doctors practising sports and exercise medicine in the country. “Now, I do international level work sitting in Dharwad. Patients come here seeking medical advice and assistance,” he says. He is also a certified FIFA/AFC Medical & Doping Control Officer.

Bright future

India has around 30 national sports federations, over 100 state associations and around 16 sports academies run by former sportspersons. Coupled with India’s thriving sports scene, Kulkarni believes these academies could offer excellent opportunities for a doctor specialising in sports medicine.

But a trend that bothers Dr Kiran is the mushrooming of online courses and workshops in the country. “Even the IOC has a distance learning diploma programme. But in the medical profession, you need to be on-field, not online!”

Another is the relatively low number of MBBS aspirants who qualify through the sports quota going on to specialise in sports medicine. Having qualified through a reserved seat himself, Kulkarni believes a sporting background is a huge advantage in understanding the trials an athlete undergoes.

“As a travelling team physician, you are the head of the medical team. The physiotherapist, trainer, massage therapist, nutritionist, psychologist will all report to you. You will also spend considerable time understanding the needs of each sportsperson,” says Dr Kiran. Sports physicians also conduct classes on training methodology for coaches and fitness trainers.

As with any job, there are challenges. He recounts the time he had to travel with a 25-member national women’s hockey team. The young girls were hesitant to discuss their problems with a male doctor, and breaking that barrier was a tough task for Dr Kiran.

But his most rewarding experience was treating Bhaichung Bhutia during the 2011 Asian Cup. “We had qualified after 30 years and that was a big deal. But Bhaichung was on the bench with injuries and I had the challenge of getting him back on the field. Eventually, he got the opportunity to play for 30 minutes and he played the best game of his life!”

It’s moments like these that give Dr Kiran immense satisfaction. “People remember us for how we helped them, and the thrill of being a part of their triumphs is incomparable. What more do you need?”