A sports medicine specialist is a physician who is trained to diagnose and treat injuries and conditions caused by participation in athletic activities.
These doctors are generally employed by professional sports teams to care for the athletes who are injured. They have extensive knowledge of the types of injuries that athletes are most susceptible to, such as stress fractures, sprains, concussions, muscle cramps, ACL injuries, and shin splints.
It is the responsibility of sports medicine specialist to clear athletes to return to the playing field when they are deemed fit. These doctors also advise athletes on how to avoid injury through proper care of their bodies while training.

A physiatrist is a doctor who specializes in the rehabilitation and physiological treatment of patients with an illness or injury that affects movement.
These specialists have extensive knowledge of the nerves, muscles, bone, and brain. Physiatrists are also experts in pain medication.
Some common conditions that physiatrists treat are rheumatoid arthritis, neurological and spinal disorders and injuries, chronic pain disorders, like fibromyalgia, and musculoskeletal issues, like broken bones and torn muscles.
These physicians also often coordinate a team of other specialists in order to maximize the patient's recovery, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, neurologists, orthopedists, and counselors.

A family practitioner is a doctor who specializes in caring for people of all ages, at all stages of life. Rather than focusing on the treatment of one disease or patient population, family practitioners are often the doctors that people see for their everyday ailments, like cold and flu or respiratory infections, and health screenings. When necessary, family practitioners will provide referrals for conditions that require the expertise of another specialist.
The doctors may also provide physicals, inoculations, prenatal care, treat chronic diseases, like diabetes and asthma, and provide advice on disease prevention.