Health Systems in High-Performance Sport: Key Functions to Protect Health and Optimize Performance in Elite Athletes

Drew, M. K. et al. Sports Med. 53, 1479–1489 (2023). Enabling athletes to achieve peak performances while also maintaining high levels of health is contextually complex. We aim to describe what a ‘health system’ is and apply the essential functions of stewardship, financing, provision of services and resource generation to an Australian high-performance sport context. We introduce a fifth function …

Compulsive exercise and its relationship with mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in recreational exercisers and athletes

Cosh, S. M., McNeil, D. G. & Tully, P. J. J. Sci. Med. Sport 26, 338–344 (2023). Better understanding of compulsive exercise is needed in sports medicine. Whilst compulsive exercise may impact mental health, the limited research exploring the relationship between compulsive exercise and psychosocial outcomes is equivocal. The majority of studies have examined eating disorder populations where the eating …

A global perspective on collision and non-collision match characteristics in male rugby union: Comparisons by age and playing standard

Till, K. et al. Eur J Sport Sci 1–15 (2023) This study quantified and compared the collision and non-collision match characteristics across age categories (i.e. U12, U14, U16, U18, Senior) for both amateur and elite playing standards from Tier 1 rugby union nations (i.e. England, South Africa, New Zealand). Two-hundred and one male matches (5911 min ball-in-play) were coded using …

Effects of Exercise Training on Muscle Quality in Older Individuals: A Systematic Scoping Review with Meta-Analyses

Hortobágyi, T. et al. Sports Med. – Open 9, 41 (2023). Background  The quantity and quality of skeletal muscle are important determinants of daily function and metabolic health. Various forms of physical exercise can improve muscle function, but this effect can be inconsistent and has not been systematically examined across the health-neurological disease continuum. The purpose of this systematic scoping …

Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport–Amsterdam, October 2022

Patricios, J. S. et al. Br. J. Sports Med. 57, 695–711 (2023). For over two decades, the Concussion in Sport Group has held meetings and developed five international statements on concussion in sport. This 6th statement summarises the processes and outcomes of the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Amsterdam on 27–30 October 2022 and should be …

A systematic literature review of injury epidemiology and surveillance practices in elite adult female field-based team sport

Gilhooly, M., Cahalan, R., O’Sullivan, K. & Norton, C. . J. Sci. Med. Sport 26, 301–308 (2023). Objectives: To describe injury incidence and surveillance practices in elite adult female field-based team sports. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: This review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42022318642). CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Open Grey and Google Scholar were searched from …

Can we really say getting stronger makes your tendon feel better? No current evidence of a relationship between change in Achilles tendinopathy pain or disability and changes in Triceps Surae structure or function when completing rehabilitation: A systematic review

Murphy, Myles C., et al. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (2023).  Objectives: Determine if improvements in pain and disability in patients with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy relate to changes in muscle structure and function whilst completing exercise rehabilitation. Design: A systematic review exploring the relationship between changes in pain/disability and muscle structure/ function over time, following the Preferred Reporting Items …

Exertional Heat Stroke and Rhabdomyolysis: A Medical Record Review and Patient Perspective on Management and Long-Term Symptoms

Kruijt, N., van den Bersselaar, L.R., Hopman, M.T.E. et al. Sports Med – Open 9, 33 (2023). Background: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during sports can be the first symptom of yet undetected cardiovascular conditions. Immediate chest compressions and early defibrillation offer SCA victims the best chance of survival, which requires prompt bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Aims: To determine the effect of rapid bystander CPR …

Acute and Chronic Performance Enhancement in Rowing: A Network Meta-analytical Approach on the Effects of Nutrition and Training

Held, S., Rappelt, L. & Donath, L. Sports Med 53, 1137–1159 (2023). Background This systematic review and network meta-analysis assessed via direct and indirect comparison the occurrence and magnitude of effects following different nutritional supplementation strategies and exercise interventions on acute and chronic rowing performance and its surrogates. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, PsycNET and SPORTDiscus searches were conducted until …

Quantifying the Extent to Which Successful Juniors and Successful Seniors are Two Disparate Populations: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Findings

Güllich, A., Barth, M., Macnamara, B. N. & Hambrick, D. Z. Sports Med 53, 1201–1217 (2023).   Background To what extent does the pathway to senior elite success build on junior elite success? Evidence from longitudinal studies investigating athletes’ junior-to-senior performance development is mixed; prospective studies have reported percentages of juniors who achieved an equivalent competition level at senior age …