The reintroduction of the Olympic games in 1896 promoted the interdisciplinary research of sportinduced strain. Germany became in the following years the mother country of sports medicine. The sport medical development was decisively influenced by the international hygiene exhibition in Dresden 1911.

The success of this exhibition led to the organisation of the first congress for physical exercise. During this congress the „German Reich committee for the scientific research of Sports and Exercises“ was founded, which was renamed in 1924 to „German federation of physicians for the promotion of exercise“. This was the beginning of organised sports medicine.

In 1933 the "German federation of Physicians for the Promotion of Exercises " was renamed again, now into the "German Association of Sports Physicians”. This association was disbanded during the second world war and in 1950 reestablished. Since 1951 the revised guidelines from 1925 for the title sport physician have been valid. In 1970 The „German Society of Sports Physicians“ decided on modified guidelines for obtaining the additional title sports medicine in the assembly of the delegates.

The first sport medical outpatient department was set up in the soviet occupied zone in 1947. With the foundation of the „German University of Body Culture” in 1950 in Leipzig was the first department established for sports medicine. The high value of sports medicine in the GDR was indicated by the introduction of the specialist for sports medicine. The „Society for Sports Medicine of the GDR“ joined the German Association of Sports Physicians“, which was renamed 1998 into „German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention“.

The inadequate consideration of sports orthopaedic surgeons and the sports orthopaedic matters within both, the German Association of Sports Physicians and the orthopaedic professional associations, led to the foundation of the „Society for Orthopaedic Traumatologic Sports Medicine“ (Gesellschaft für Orthopädisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin, GOTS), which since then has represented the relevant interests of the sports orthopaedics.

Until today only one chair for orthopaedic surgery and sports orthopaedics exists in Germany at the Technical University of Munich.