History of San Diego Sports Medicine & Family Health Center

In 1980, our founding father, E. Lee Rice, DO, started our Sports medicine center on the concept of giving great quality care not only for injury management and disease, but also to bring the individual to optimum health and fitness.

His philosophy was that health was much more than merely the absence of disease. The approach since inception has been not only the treatment of injuries and illnesses, but individualized patient education and management on a broad spectrum of lifestyle improvements to enhance well-being and quality of life. In short, the goal with each client was not to just to get better, but to attain optimal health and wellness.

The idea was to combine a good family practice program with physical therapy, a fitness club, dietary counseling, as well as anxiety and emotional care for optimum health. That philosophy still pervades the center today, 28 years later.

Many of these concepts were developed through care of the athlete. The physicians at our center over the years have been physicians for the San Diego Chargers, Clippers, Olympic Volley ball teams, Olympic training center, San Diego State University, Grossmont College, San Diego Christian College, San Diego Sockers, San Diego Gulls, the Hydroplane races, San Diego and Rock-N-Roll marathons, as well as several local high schools and numerous other events. Our goal again was to repair their maladies, but to also help them achieve their individual goals and aspirations.

Our board certified physicians are also very involved with teaching and academics. We are clinical instructors at UCSD, Western Osteopathic University, and Stanford Physicians Assistant program and are very involved with teaching the professionals of the future.

Over the years we have also been very involved with industrial medicine. Through superlative individual care we have been asked to be contracted providers for several businesses and entities, from public workers, firefighters, and landscapers to executives and more sedentary office workers. This includes injury management as well as preventive programs on a one time basis or continual.

We also have been doing executive wellness physicals for over 25 years to individuals as well as corporations. After the 4 hour examination, specific recommendations are given verbally and in packet form which specifically maps out the steps needed to attain optimal health.

The purpose of our center has remained solid for 28 years: to consistently, expertly, and compassionately provide optimal care to families, athletes of all levels, and professionals to allow them to live healthy, happy, and purposeful lives.