The effect of repeated concussions on clinical and neurocognitive symptom severity in different contact sports

Glaser J,  Jaeckle S,  Beblo T, et al. Scand J Med Sci Sports.  2024; 34:e14626. Introduction The potential consequences of repeated concussions in sport are well documented. However, it remains unclear whether the cumulative impact of sports-related concussions differs between different contact sports. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the cumulative effects of sports-related concussions on clinical and neurocognitive health in different contact …

Psychosocial experiences of competitive rugby players on the “long, long journey” to recovery following ACL ruptures and reconstruction

Borman A,  Derman W,  Grobbelaar H. Scand J Med Sci Sports.  2024; 34:e14604. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are serious and potentially career-ending. Reconstruction surgery and extended rehabilitation typically follow, but some athletes never attain the same level of sport performance. The psychosocial experiences of athletes who sustain ACL injuries and their cognitive appraisal, emotional and behavioral responses to the injury, and reconstruction require further attention during …

Athlete Mental Health and Wellbeing During the Transition into Elite Sport: Strategies to Prepare the System

Pilkington, V., Rice, S., Olive, L., Walton, C. & Purcell, R. . Sports Med. – Open 10, 24 (2024). The transition into elite-level sport can expose young athletes to risk factors for mental ill-health, including increased performance expectations, stressors associated with becoming increasingly public figures, and changes in lifestyle demands, such as diet, training loads and sleep. Successful integration into …

Psychological Safety for Mental Health in Elite Sport: A Theoretically Informed Model

Walton, C.C., Purcell, R., Pilkington, V. et al.  Sports Med 54, 557–564 (2024). Elite sports contexts are highly pressurised and frequently enforce a win-at-all-costs approach. This narrow focus on performance outcomes can potentially contribute in negative ways to the mental health of those within these environments. In this Current Opinionpaper, we propose a model that outlines how key elements contributing to psychologically safe …

Are all hamstring injuries equal? A retrospective analysis of time to return to full training following BAMIC type ‘c’ and T-junction injuries in professional men’s rugby union

Kerin F, O’Flanagan S, Coyle J, et al. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2024;34:e14586. We aimed to determine whether the anatomical location (intramuscular tendon or T-Junction) of hamstring muscle injuries in professional men’s rugby union associates with a prolonged time to return to full training and a higher rate of re-injury/subsequent injury. We reviewed the medical records of an Irish …

Relationships of Total and Domain-Specific Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity with All-Cause and Disease-Specific Mortality.

Kikuchi H et al Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 56(3):p 520-527, March 2024. | Purpose  This study aimed to investigate the relationships of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with all-cause and disease-specific mortality. We also investigated how the association between MVPA at leisure time (LT-MVPA) and health outcomes differs at different MVPA at work (WT-MVPA) levels. Methods  The 81,601 …

Initial Assessment and Management of Select Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Team Physician Consensus Statement

Herring, S et al 56(3):p 385-401, March 2024. Musculoskeletal injuries occur frequently in sport during practice, training, and competition. Injury assessment and management are common responsibilities for the team physician. Initial Assessment and Management of Musculoskeletal Injury—A Team Physician Consensus Statement is title 23 in a series of annual consensus documents written for the practicing team physician. This statement was …

To achieve the unachievable—Patients’ experiences of opting for delayed anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction after trying rehabilitation alone as primary treatment: A qualitative study

Simonsson R,  Magnusson C,  Piussi R, et al.   Scand J Med Sci Sports.  2024; 34:e14569. Introduction About 50% of patients who sustain an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are treated without ACL reconstruction (ACL-R). A significant proportion of these patients opt for late ACL-R. Patients’ experience of changing treatment has not yet been investigated and presented in the scientific literature. Aim To explore patients’ experiences before and …

Direct and indirect impact of low energy availability on sports performance

Melin AK, Areta JL, Heikura IA, Stellingwerff T, Torstveit MK, Hackney AC. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2024;34:e14327 Low  energy  availability  (LEA)  occurs  inadvertently  and  purposefully  in  many  athletes  across  numerous  sports;  and  well  planned,  supervised  periods  with  moderate  LEA  can  improve  body  composition  and  power  to  weight  ratio  possibly enhancing performance in some sports. LEA however has the potential …