ABSTRACT
The first application of medicine to sports is unknown, but the earliest recorded example of a sports-contest-related injury is the Biblical account of Jacob’s wrestling match (Genesis 32: 24-32). Jacob received the Lord’s blessing but apparently no medical attention: He passed the place called Penuel “limping because of his thigh.” An early Egyptian surgical treatise (ca. 2600-2200 BC) describes treatment for a variety of injuries, many of which could have been sustained in sporting contests.
