player safety
94% of Athletes Had Little to No Symptoms After Testing Positive for COVID-19
A recent study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that the majority of athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 had either no symptoms or mild acute symptoms. Results from the study revealed that... more »
Study: Sports Play Important Role in Men’s Mental Health
Sports can play a crucial role in challenging stereotypes and promoting positive mental health for boys and young men, new Australian research has concluded. "Suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15–25... more »
Three of Four Teens Aren’t Getting Enough Daily Exercise
Three out of every four teens aren't getting enough exercise according to a recent study, and this lack is even more pronounced among female students. But new research from the University of Georgia suggests improving... more »
Protecting the Young Elbow, Part II
Elbow injuries in young baseball pitchers continue to rise and reduce participation. Second to the shoulder, the elbow is a vulnerable area and prone to injury in the young throwing arm. Unfortunately, many young pitchers... more »
Study Links Higher Asthma Risk in Skiers with Intensive Training
An intensive training schedule is linked to a heightened risk of non-allergic asthma in competitive cross-country skiers, finds research published in the open-access journal BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine. The prevalence of non-allergic asthma was... more »
Study Suggests Antibiotics Weaken Athletic Performance
New research demonstrates that by killing essential gut bacteria, antibiotics ravage athletes’ motivation and endurance. The UC Riverside-led mouse study suggests the microbiome is a big factor separating athletes from couch potatoes. Other studies have... more »
Study: Team Sports Support Athletes’ Mental Health
Studies show that there are many proven mental health benefits of team sports. Playing team sports can improve a person’s mental health, especially at the youth level when tweens and kids are most vulnerable. A recent... more »
New Open-Access Journal from American College of Sports Medicine Coming in the Fall
Exercise, Sport, and Movement will be an international open-access, peer-reviewed journal focusing on all aspects of exercise science and sports medicine. Submissions to the new journal are now open, marking the opening of the 2022 ACSM... more »
Screening Breathing Patterns in Athletic Populations
Dysfunctional breathing patterns are associated with a high risk of musculoskeletal conditions, resulting in poor physical performance. Now, a study by researchers in Japan has found that among athletes across age groups, there is a... more »
Study: Competitiveness, Characteristics Predict Athlete’s Level of Sports Specialization
Sport specialization has been associated with increased injury and negative psychosocial effects on young athletes. With the continuing trend toward this route, studies have begun to examine what motivates this decision. According to published results... more »
University of Leeds Study Heart Health in Endurance Athletes
The University of Leeds project will see the men, all aged over 50, fitted with a small monitor under the skin on their chest to record their heartbeat. Below is an excerpt from a BBC... more »
Protecting the Young Elbow, Part I
Elbow injuries in young baseball pitchers continue to rise and reduce participation. Second to the shoulder, the elbow is a vulnerable area and prone to injury in the young throwing arm. Unfortunately, many young pitchers... more »
Warming Up to Therapy Options Other than Ice
In a 2011 study, people who iced a torn calf muscle felt just as much leg pain later as those who left their sore leg alone, and they were unable to return to work or... more »
7 Stages of Long-Term Athletic Development
The Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model describes what children, youth, and adults need to be doing at the right time to develop in sport or activity. According to Istvan Balyi, Richard Way, and Colin Higgs,... more »
Tips for Integrating The Snatch and Clean & Jerk
A conversation I frequently have with fellow coaches and colleagues is whether or not weightlifting derivatives are worth the time they take to teach their athletes. While the answer (like most things in sports performance)... more »
Study Suggests Concussions Worsen if Fighters Cut Weight Before Match
Fighters who rapidly cut weight before bouts are at a higher risk of suffering concussions or being misdiagnosed with head trauma, researchers have revealed for the first time. More than 60 percent of athletes in... more »
Study — Athletics Improve Concentration & Quality of Life
Movement on a regular basis keeps kids healthy and fit for school. The benefits of sports have been demonstrated in numerous studies. Now a research team at the TU Munich has found proof of the... more »
Study: Athletes at Higher Risk of Injury Post-Pandemic
Athletes returning to competition in their first season after the COVID-19 pandemic were at higher risk for noncontact and overuse injury, according to at least one presenter from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual... more »
After Failed Pacemaker, Ref’s Life Saved By ATC & AED
A Colorado athletic trainer's quick decision-making saved the life of a referee recently. Bear Creek High School's certified athletic trainer Ashley Cowan came to the aid of referee Harold 'Woody' White during a regular-season meeting... more »
Study: Muscle-Strengthening Activities May Lower Risk of Mortality
According to a recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, regular engagement in muscle-strengthening activities, such as resistance training, may lower the risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Using MEDLINE... more »
Study: NCAA’s COVID-19 Mitigation Tactics Worked
A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates mitigation measures taken during the past two years by NCAA member schools have worked. A group of Stanford researchers conducted the first known... more »
Eye Movements Could Indicate Athletes Who Suffered Concussions
Concussions continue to take up headspace in the minds of sports medicine professionals around the globe. Such is the case for Anthony Kontos, research director of the Sports Medicine Concussion Program at the University of... more »
How to Master the Power Clean
The power clean is an explosive whole body movement used by weightlifters and athletes to develop strength and power. While it began as an essential Olympic weightlifting movement, the power clean has become a staple... more »
Colorado ATC Saves Basketball Referee’s Life With Help of EAP
Licensed athletic trainers like Ashley Cowan prepare for the worst with things like an emergency action plan (EAP), but one can only be so ready for when a worst-case scenario actually arrives. That moment came... more »
Returning to Sports Following COVID-19
Those who've had a tough case of COVID-19 shouldn't hit the gym for basketball or an aerobics class without getting checked out by their doctor first, according to the American College for Sports Medicine. The... more »
When Is The Most Effective Time To Exercise?
Scientists still do not know why the timing of exercise produces different effects. To gain a better understanding, an international team of scientists recently carried out the most comprehensive study to date of exercise performed... more »
Urine Protein Biomarkers Could Be Used To Diagnose Concussions
A concussion can be frustratingly hard to diagnose and track. The injury doesn't show up on routine brain scans, and there is no definitive diagnostic test. It's usually diagnosed based on symptoms, and, in athletes,... more »
UK Researchers & Orthopedic Surgeons Further ACL Injury Studies
Researchers at the University of Kentucky are working on three National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, totaling over $8 million, to better understand one of the most common sports injuries among athletes — anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The... more »
Asian Mindfulness Practice, Wu-Wei, Shown to Boost Athletic Performance
When athletes experience the state of flow or are in the 'zone' they sometimes describe the feeling as one of effortlessness. Although their exertions may feel effortless, what their bodies achieve in terms of performance... more »
Study: No Ties Between Youth Football & Brain Issues
New research suggests that head trauma and concussions aren't linked to problems with memory, attention, processing speed, or behavior in 9- to 12-year-olds who play youth football for a few seasons. "It is reassuring that we... more »
