Health Benefits of Different Sports: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal and Intervention Studies Including 2.6 Million Adult Participants.

Oja, P., Memon, A. R., Titze, S., Jurakic, D., Chen, S.-T., Shrestha, N., Em, S., Matolic, T., Vasankari, T., Heinonen, A., Grgic, J., Koski, P., Kokko, S., Kelly, P., Foster, C., Podnar, H. & Pedisic, Z. Sports Med. – Open 10, 46 (2024). Background Several reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, …

Evidence of different sensitivity of muscle and tendon to mechano-metabolic stimuli

Lambrianides Y, Epro G, Arampatzis A, Karamanidis K. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2024;34:e14638 This study aimed to examine the temporal dynamics of muscle–tendon adaptation  and whether  differences  between their  sensitivity  to  mechano-  metabolic  stimuli would lead to non- uniform changes within the triceps surae (TS) muscle–tendon unit (MTU). Twelve young adults completed a 12-week training intervention of unilateral isometric …

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 …

Immediate Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to Sudden Cardiac Arrest During Sports is Associated with Improved Survival—a Video Analysis.

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common problem among runners. There is only limited evidence for risk factors for AT, and most studies have not defined the AT subcategories. No study has compared the incidence and risk factors between insertional AT and midportion AT, though they are considered distinct. This study aimed to assess incidence and risk factors of AT based …

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 …