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Sports Medicine Research

Fair Play rules make ice hockey safer

Fair Play (PDF) is an initiative developed and implemented by Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research to reduce the incidence of concussions and make hockey a safer sport.

Research improves all aspects of sports mechanics

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research is using research discoveries to improve strength, power, agility and speed and prevent common injuries such as ACL tears in athletes.

Biomechanics breaks down movement to prevent injury

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research is using biomechanics research to show how pitching and swing mechanics can put an athlete at risk for injury.

Striving to improve athletic performance

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research: Preventing and treating sports injuries to improve and enhance athletic performance.

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research performs leading-edge research to define the mechanism of injury and utilizes these findings to implement educational programs and therapeutic interventions. This work helps prevent injuries, enhances athletic performance and increases injury prevention during play.

Sports Medicine Research investigates all aspects of sports injury evaluation, treatment and prevention to provide optimal care to those involved in sports- or fitness-related activities. Recent work has addressed neuromuscular interventions to prevent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the use of subsymptom exercise to return athletes who've had concussions to a pre-head-trauma state and the modeling of lower extremity athletic joint injuries.

Research focus areas

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research focuses on the following areas for optimal care and results for athletes:

• Mechanisms that may identify the anatomical and structural causes of injuries
• Screening using algorithms to identify athletes at a high risk of injury
• Intervention and prevention through neuromuscular training protocols
• Treatment strategies (surgical and nonsurgical) to optimize outcomes after injury

Comprehensive care comes from bringing research directly into practice. A complete team of surgeons, physicians, researchers, specialists and therapists work together to return people to physical activity as soon as possible.

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Focus Areas

Research is focused into specialized areas to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases or conditions that affect athletic performance for the professional and recreational athlete.

Clinical Research Areas

Clinical research areas in ACL, concussion, hip, knee and shoulder apply scientific discoveries to diagnose and treat athletes for the best outcomes.

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American Journal of Sports Medicine

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The American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) is the official peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). Founded in 1972, AJSM is an essential forum for independent orthopaedic sports medicine research and education, allowing clinical practitioners the ability to make decisions based on sound scientific information. AJSM is published 14 times a year and contains original articles addressed to orthopaedic surgeons, team physicians, athletic trainers, and physical therapists focusing on the treatment and prevention of athletic injuries.

AJSM has a five-year impact factor of 7.392 and is ranked number two out of 82 orthopaedic publications* and number four out of 88 sports sciences publications*, explore how the AJSM and Bruce Reider, MD, Editor-in-Chief, can expand your knowledge and keep you up-to-date with the latest research through our online content .

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The American Journal of Sports Medicine ’s Current Concepts CME activity tests your knowledge and application of material presented in Current Concept articles. Earn one credit per article towards your Part II MOC CME requirements after completing a short online post-test and evaluation. This activity provides you with researched-based information and application of critical topics in sports medicine with the most updated information for you to reflect, evaluate, and use in your practice.

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Effectiveness of Recovery Strategies After Training and Competition in Endurance Athletes: An Umbrella Review

Recovery strategies are used to enhance performance and reduce injury risk in athletes. In previous systematic reviews, individual recovery strategies were investigated to clarify their effectiveness for mixed...

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Physical and Psychosocial Benefits of Sports Participation Among Children and Adolescents with Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review

This study aims to identify sports interventions for children and adolescents (CaA) with chronic diseases and evaluate their impact on physical, psychological, and social well-being. The findings of this study...

Gym and Fitness Injuries amongst those Aged 16–64 in New Zealand: Analysis of Ten Years of Accident Compensation Corporation Injury Claim Data

To provide epidemiological data for minor and moderate-to-serious injury claims for gym and fitness related injuries amongst those aged 16–64 in New Zealand, to inform the development of an injury prevention p...

Plyometric Jump Training Effects on Maximal Strength in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis of Randomized-Controlled Studies

Maximal strength may contribute to soccer players’ performance. Several resistance training modalities offer the potential to improve maximal strength. During recent years, a large number of plyometric jump tr...

Routine, Routine, Routine: Sleep Regularity and its Association with Sleep Metrics in Professional Rugby Union Athletes

Maintaining a consistent sleep and wake time is often reported as a key component of circadian rhythmicity and quality sleep. However, the impact of sleep onset and offset time variability on overall sleep out...

Quantitative Analysis of 92 12-Week Sub-elite Marathon Training Plans

A typical training plan is a mix of many training sessions with different intensities and durations to achieve a specific goal, like running a marathon in a certain time. Scientific publications provide little...

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport after Injury Scale (ACL-RSI) Scores over Time After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

Psychological readiness is an important consideration for athletes and clinicians when making return to sport decisions following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). To improve our understanding ...

Ultra-Cycling– Past, Present, Future: A Narrative Review

Ultra-endurance events are gaining popularity in multiple exercise disciplines, including cycling. With increasing numbers of ultra-cycling events, aspects influencing participation and performance are of inte...

Practical Recommendations for Exercise Training in Patients with Long COVID with or without Post-exertional Malaise: A Best Practice Proposal

People with long COVID may suffer from a wide range of ongoing symptoms including fatigue, exertional dyspnea, reduced exercise performance, and others. In particular, impaired exercise performance is a condit...

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

Several reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, football, golf, judo, rugby, running and swimmi...

Effects of Chronic Static Stretching on Maximal Strength and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regression

Increases in maximal strength and muscle volume represent central aims of training interventions. Recent research suggested that the chronic application of stretch may be effective in inducing hypertrophy. The...

How Much Energy Do E’Athletes Use during Gameplay? Quantifying Energy Expenditure and Heart Rate Variability Within E’Athletes

Research into esports suggests that e’athletes experience physiological stressors and demands during competition and training. The physiological demands of esports are poorly understood and need to be investig...

Tackle Risk Factors for Head Injury Assessments (HIAs) in Sub-Elite Rugby League and Recommendations for Prevention: Head Contacts from Upright Tackles Increase the HIA Risk to Both Ball Carrier and Tackler

The rugby league tackle has been identified as the game event with the greatest propensity for a clinically diagnosed concussion. This study aims to replicate the work conducted in professional rugby league an...

Attenuating Muscle Damage Biomarkers and Muscle Soreness After an Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage with Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis with Meta-regression

Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation is one of the most popular strategies used by the general population and athletes to reduce muscle soreness and accelerate the recovery process of muscle damage...

Association of Sports Practice in Childhood and Adolescence with Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Adulthood: A Retrospective Epidemiological Study

Practicing sports during childhood and adolescence provides benefits to cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) at these stages of life. However, it is not known whether these benefits to CAM persist into adulthood...

Physical Activity and Self-Determination towards Exercise among Esports Athletes

Esports is competitive video gaming, performed within teams or individually, across multiple genres. Players are required to be sedentary for extended periods and require a high-level of cognitive skills for s...

The Night-Time Sleep and Autonomic Activity of Male and Female Professional Road Cyclists Competing in the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes

Sleep is a critical component of recovery, but it can be disrupted following prolonged endurance exercise. The objective of this study was to examine the capacity of male and female professional cyclists to re...

Cost-Effectiveness of Treatments for Musculoskeletal Conditions Offered by Physiotherapists: A Systematic Review of Trial-Based Evaluations

Musculoskeletal conditions are a leading contributor to disability worldwide. The treatment of these conditions accounts for 7% of health care costs in Germany and is often provided by physiotherapists. Yet, a...

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Association Between ACTN3 R577X Genotypes and Performance in Endurance Versus Power Athletes and Non-athletes

Previous studies reported differences in genotype frequency of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms (rs1815739; RR, RX and XX) in athletes and non-athletic populations. This systematic review with meta-analysis assessed...

Effects of a 10-Week Exercise and Nutritional Intervention with Variable Dietary Carbohydrates and Glycaemic Indices on Substrate Metabolism, Glycogen Storage, and Endurance Performance in Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Daily nutrition plays an important role in supporting training adaptions and endurance performance. The objective of this 10-week study was to investigate the consequences of varying carbohydrate consumption a...

Can Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition Exist in Peroneal Muscles Among People with Chronic Ankle Instability? A Cross-sectional Study

Ankle sprains lead to an unexplained reduction of ankle eversion strength, and arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) in peroneal muscles is considered one of the underlying causes. This study aimed to observe th...

Sleep and Ultramarathon: Exploring Patterns, Strategies, and Repercussions of 1,154 Mountain Ultramarathons Finishers

Sleep and physical performance are strongly related and mutually influence each other. Athletes, particularly in disciplines like offshore sailing and ultra-endurance sports, often suffer from sleep deprivatio...

Bilateral Sensorimotor Impairments in Individuals with Unilateral Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is manifested by sensorimotor impairments in the sprained ankle, including deficits in sensation, motor function, and central integration or processing. These impairments have a...

Evaluation of Orexin-A Salivary Levels and its Correlation with Attention After Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Female Volleyball Players

The capacity to change attention from one area to another depending on the many environmental circumstances present is a crucial aspect of selective attention and is strictly correlated to reaction time. The c...

Nominal Differences in Acute Symptom Presentation and Recovery Duration of Sport-Related Concussion Between Male and Female Collegiate Athletes in the PAC-12

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a heterogenous injury that often presents with varied symptoms and impairment. Recently, research has focused on identifying subtypes, or clinical profiles of concussion to be...

Comparing the Impacts of Testosterone and Exercise on Lean Body Mass, Strength and Aerobic Fitness in Aging Men

Based on the largely untested premise that it is a restorative hormone that may reverse the detrimental impacts of aging, prescription of testosterone (T) has increased in recent decades despite no new clinica...

Differences in Biomechanical Determinants of ACL Injury Risk in Change of Direction Tasks Between Males and Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Change of direction (COD) movements are associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in multidirectional sports. Females appear at increased risk compared to males, which could be attr...

Metabolic Consequences of Anabolic Steroids, Insulin, and Growth Hormone Abuse in Recreational Bodybuilders: Implications for the World Anti-Doping Agency Passport

Hormonal doping in recreational sports is a public-health concern. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) promoted the creation of the Athlete Biological Passport, aiming to monitor athlete’s biological variables...

Powerpenia Should be Considered a Biomarker of Healthy Aging

To identify biomarkers that precede the decline of human function and independence during the lifespan, two important concepts have been introduced in recent decades: sarcopenia and dynapenia. While the former...

Deloading Practices in Strength and Physique Sports: A Cross-sectional Survey

This study explored the deloading practices of competitive strength and physique athletes. A 55-item anonymised web-based survey was distributed to a convenience-based, cross-sectional sample of competitive st...

Effectiveness of Intervention Strategies to Increase Adolescents’ Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Time in Secondary School Settings, Including Factors Related to Implementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Globally, just one in five adolescents meet physical activity guidelines and three-quarters of the school day is spent sitting. It is unclear which types of school-based interventions strategies increase physi...

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

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 figur...

Low Ankle-GO Score While Returning to Sport After Lateral Ankle Sprain Leads to a 9-fold Increased Risk of Recurrence: A Two-year Prospective Cohort Study

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is the most common sports injury, leading to a high rate of recurrence and the development of chronic ankle instability. One possible explanation is the lack of objective, evidence-b...

Association Between Total Genotype Score and Muscle Injuries in Top-Level Football Players: a Pilot Study

Recently, genetic predisposition to injury has become a popular area of research and the association between a few single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to develop musculoskeletal injur...

Effects of Passive or Active Recovery Regimes Applied During Long-Term Interval Training on Physical Fitness in Healthy Trained and Untrained Individuals: A Systematic Review

Intermittent exercise programs characterized through intensive exercise bouts alternated with passive or active recovery (i.e., interval training), have been proven to enhance measures of cardiorespiratory fit...

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns on Body Mass Index of Primary School Children from Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds

Childhood obesity is associated with various health outcomes. Restrictive measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, like lockdowns and school closures, affected childr...

Knee Biomechanics During Neurocognitively Challenged Drop Landings in Male Elite Soccer Players with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Reactive decision-making during athletic movement has been demonstrated to evoke unfavorable biomechanics associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. However, the current evidence is based on ass...

How Cool is That? The Effects of Menthol Mouth Rinsing on Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Menthol (MEN) mouth rinsing (MR) has gained considerable interest in the athletic population for exercise performance; however, the overall magnitude of effect is unknown.

The Effects of a Carbohydrate Hydrogel System for the Delivery of Bicarbonate Mini-Tablets on Acid–Base Buffering and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Resting Well-trained Male Cyclists

A new commercially available sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplement claims to limit gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort and increase extracellular buffering capacity. To date, no available data exists to substantiate...

The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review

Elite-level coaches are exposed to multiple performance, organisational and personal stressors which may contribute to reduced mental health and wellbeing. This systematic scoping review examined the current b...

The Effects of Stretching Exercise on Levels of Blood Glucose: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Physical activity plays an important role in the management of blood glucose levels. However, compelling evidence exists only for aerobic and resistance training. In this review, we aimed to identify the poten...

Does Advanced Footwear Technology Improve Track and Road Racing Performance? An Explorative Analysis Based on the 100 Best Yearly Performances in the World Between 2010 and 2022

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) is currently being debated in sports. There is a direct evidence that distance running in AFT improves running economy. In addition, there is indirect evidence from competiti...

Prognostic Relevance of Ischemic Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Apparently Healthy Endurance Athletes: A Follow-up Study Over 5 years

In many cardiac diseases, myocardial scar tissue detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. Previous studies in athletes reported an increas...

The Use of Biofluid Markers to Evaluate the Consequences of Sport-Related Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure: A Scoping Review

Amidst growing concern about the safety of sport-related repetitive subconcussive head impacts (RSHI), biofluid markers may provide sensitive, informative, and practical assessment of the effects of RSHI expos...

Complement System Deficiencies in Elite Athletes

Although regular physical activity improves immune competency and reduces the prevalence of inflammatory diseases, strenuous training in elite athletes is associated with an increased susceptibility to infecti...

The Connection Between Resistance Training, Climbing Performance, and Injury Prevention

Climbing is an intricate sport composed of various disciplines, holds, styles, distances between holds, and levels of difficulty. In highly skilled climbers the potential for further strength-specific adaptati...

Wearable Devices to Improve Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviour: An Umbrella Review

Several systematic reviews (SRs), with and without meta-analyses, have investigated the use of wearable devices to improve physical activity, and there is a need for frequent and updated syntheses on the topic.

Peak Week Carbohydrate Manipulation Practices in Physique Athletes: A Narrative Review

Physique athletes are ranked by a panel of judges against the judging criteria of the corresponding division. To enhance on-stage presentation and performance, competitors in certain categories (i.e. bodybuild...

No Association Between Hamstrings-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio and Second ACL Injuries After Accounting for Prognostic Factors: A Cohort Study of 574 Patients After ACL-Reconstruction

The stress on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) induced by the quadriceps can be attenuated by activation of the hamstrings by exerting an opposing torque to the anterior translation of tibia. Consequently,...

Individual In-Situ GPS-Derived Acceleration-Speed Profiling: Toward Automatization and Refinement in Male Professional Rugby Union Players

Recently a proof-of-concept was proposed to derive the soccer players’ individual in-situ acceleration-speed ( AS ) profile from global positioning system (GPS) data collected over several sessions and games. The p...

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Annual Journal Metrics

2022 Citation Impact 4.6 - 2-year Impact Factor 5.7 - 5-year Impact Factor 1.705 - SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper) 1.15 - SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

2023 Speed 15 days submission to first editorial decision for all manuscripts (Median) 216 days submission to accept (Median)

2023 Usage  1,609,820 downloads 4,288 Altmetric mentions

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• ISSN: 2198-9761 (electronic)

Vertical Strength Transfer Phenomenon Between Upper Body and Lower Body Exercise: Systematic Scoping Review

• Ivan Curovic
• David Rhodes
• Damian J. Harper

Skating into the Unknown: Scoping the Physical, Technical, and Tactical Demands of Competitive Skateboarding

• Shelley N. Diewald
• Jono Neville
• Matt R. Cross

The Physical Demands of Wheelchair Tennis Match Play: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

• Samuel Williamson
• Clare L. Ardern
• Babette M. Pluim

Comparison of Polarized Versus Other Types of Endurance Training Intensity Distribution on Athletes’ Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

• Pedro Silva Oliveira
• Giorjines Boppre
• Hélder Fonseca

Identifying and Minimizing Incentives for Competing Interests in Sports Medicine Publications

• Franco M. Impellizzeri
• Steven D. Stovitz

The Within-Subject Association of Physical Behavior and Affective Well-Being in Everyday Life: A Systematic Literature Review

• Marco Giurgiu
• Markus Reichert

Return to Play and Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence

• Marko Manojlovic
• Srdjan Ninkovic
• Patrik Drid

Influence of Preterm Birth and Low Birthweight on Physical Fitness: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

• Marcos D. Martínez-Zamora
• Carlos Martín-Martínez
• Pedro L. Valenzuela

Physical Fitness Surveillance and Monitoring Systems Inventory for Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review with a Global Perspective

• Javier Brazo-Sayavera
• Danilo R. Silva
• Leandro Dos Santos

Contact Breast Injuries Among Female Athletes: A Systematic Review

• Kilian Bibby
• Ian C. Kenny
• Tom M. Comyns

Symptoms of Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome are Common in Community-Dwelling Adults

• Douglas P. Terry
• Anthony E. Bishay
• Scott L. Zuckerman

The Influence of Exercise on Cancer Risk, the Tumor Microenvironment and the Treatment of Cancer

The Interval Between Concussions Does Not Influence Time to Asymptomatic or Return to Play: A CARE Consortium Study

• Eric J. Shumski
• Shawn R. Eagle
• CARE Consortium Investigators

Changes in Lower Limb Biomechanics Across Various Stages of Maturation and Implications for ACL Injury Risk in Female Athletes: a Systematic Review

• Akhilesh Kumar Ramachandran
• Jason S. Pedley
• Rhodri S. Lloyd

Dose–Response Modelling of Resistance Exercise Across Outcome Domains in Strength and Conditioning: A Meta-analysis

• Paul Alan Swinton
• Brad J. Schoenfeld
• Andrew Murphy

Comment on “Effects of Combined Uphill–Downhill Sprinting Versus Resisted Sprinting Methods on Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta‑analysis”

• MingYue Yin

Response to Comment on “Effects of Combined Uphill–Downhill Sprinting Versus Resisted Sprinting Methods on Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis’’

• Maziar J. Hamad
• Pedro E. Alcaraz
• Eduardo Sáez de Villareal

Supervised Versus Unsupervised Exercise for the Improvement of Physical Function and Well-Being Outcomes in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Paola Gómez-Redondo
• Asier Mañas

A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Case Study Investigation of the Academic, Athletic, Psychosocial and Psychological Impacts of Being a Sport School Student Athlete

• Ffion Thompson
• Fieke Rongen

The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners’ Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

• Cristian Llanos-Lagos
• Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo
• Eduardo Sáez de Villarreal

“Is It Realistic?”: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Elite Women Athletes Considering Parenthood

• Margie H. Davenport
• Autumn Nesdoly
• Tara-Leigh F. McHugh

Injury in Starting and Replacement Players from Five Professional Men’s Rugby Unions

• Simon P. Roberts
• Keith A. Stokes
• Ross Tucker

Physical Activity and Cognitive Performance in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Javier S. Morales
• Eva Alberquilla del Río
• Óscar Martínez-de-Quel

DNA Methylation in the Adaptive Response to Exercise

• Adam J. Bittel
• Yi-Wen Chen

Time to Reflect on Return to Sport Timing Following ACL Reconstruction

• Stephan G. Bodkin

Glycaemic Effects of a 156-km Ultra-trail Race in Athletes: An Observational Field Study

• Cassandra Parent
• Benoît Mauvieux
• Elsa Heyman

Differences in Injury Profiles Between Female and Male Athletes Across the Participant Classification Framework: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Natalie J. Hardaker
• Patria A. Hume
• Stacy T. Sims

Exercise-Regulated Mitochondrial and Nuclear Signalling Networks in Skeletal Muscle

• Elizabeth G. Reisman
• John A. Hawley
• Nolan J. Hoffman

Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview

• James L. Nuzzo
• Matheus D. Pinto
• Kazunori Nosaka

Athletic Injury Research: Frameworks, Models and the Need for Causal Knowledge

• Judd T. Kalkhoven

When to Pull the Trigger: Conceptual Considerations for Approximating Head Acceleration Events Using Instrumented Mouthguards

• James Tooby

What We Do Not Know About Stretching in Healthy Athletes: A Scoping Review with Evidence Gap Map from 300 Trials

• José Afonso
• Renato Andrade
• Filipe Manuel Clemente

Joining the Conversation on a Corresponsive Sport Science

• John van der Kamp

The Relationship Between Running Biomechanics and Running Economy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

• Bas Van Hooren
• Isabel S. Moore

Associations Between Physical Characteristics and Golf Clubhead Speed: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

• Alex Brennan
• Andrew Murray
• Chris Bishop

Response to Comment on “The Effectiveness of Resisted Sled Training (RST) for Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”

• Jorge Carlos-Vivas
• Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez

Comment on: “The Effectiveness of Resisted Sled Training (RST) for Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”

Understanding and Improving Athlete Mental Health: A Social Identity Approach

• Mark Stevens
• Tegan Cruwys

The Fallacy of Single Trials: The Need for Multiple Trials in Assessing Running Economy Responses in Advanced Footwear Technology

• Zach B. Barrons
• Victor Rodrigo-Carranza
• Wouter Hoogkamer

Factors Influencing Time to Return to Learn Among NCAA Student-Athletes Enrolled in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Study

• Allyssa K. Memmini
• Traci R. Snedden

Effects of Oral Iron Supplementation on Blood Iron Status in Athletes: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Anja Neža Šmid
• Petra Golja
• Armin H. Paravlic

Mental Health in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review of Suicidal Behaviour as Compared to the General Population

• Vikram S. Gill
• Georgia Sullivan
• Mohit Chauhan

Correction to: Effects of Combined Uphill–Downhill Sprinting Versus Resisted Sprinting Methods on Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Correction to: The Effect of Sedentary Behaviour on Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Stephanie A. Prince
• Paddy C. Dempsey
• Justin J. Lang

Muscle Oximetry in Sports Science: An Updated Systematic Review

• Stephane Perrey
• Valentina Quaresima
• Marco Ferrari

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Pain when Running During Pregnancy: A Survey of 3102 Women

• Hannah E. Wyatt
• Kelly Sheerin
• Kim Hébert-Losier

Running-Related Injury Incidence: Does It Correlate with Kinematic Sub-groups of Runners? A Scoping Review

• Léa Adamson
• Liam Vandamme
• Stuart Charles Miller

The Standard Error/Standard Deviation Mix-Up: Potential Impacts on Meta-Analyses in Sports Medicine

• Gavin Sandercock

The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

• Alycia Fong Yan
• Leslie L. Nicholson
• Cliffton Chan

Injury Profile in Youth Female Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Stacey Emmonds

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ADOLESCENT AND PEDIATRIC SPORTS MEDICINE

Concussion and mental health disorders in children and adolescents (March 2024)

Ongoing research continues to examine the complex relationship between concussion and mental health disorders. In a recent case-control study of over 18,000 children (≤17 years old) with concussion and over 37,000 matched controls, concussion was associated with an increased risk for a new diagnosis of a behavior disorder at two and four years after injury [ 1 ]. For most diagnoses, the absolute numbers were low. Confidence in a causal relationship is limited by risk of confounding and reliance on an electronic medical record for establishing lack of baseline behavioral problems prior to injury. Whether pediatric concussion is an independent risk factor for new behavioral problems after recovery remains unclear. (See "Concussion in children and adolescents: Management", section on 'Mental health disorders' .)

Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in children and adolescents (February 2024)

Greater numbers of children and adolescents now specialize in a single sport, thereby increasing the risk for overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new clinical report that reviews the medical literature about these conditions and summarizes key findings pertaining to risk factors, clinical presentation, and prevention [ 2 ]. The report emphasizes the importance of achieving a healthy balance between stress and recovery. Specific recommendations include taking one to two days off from competition and sport-specific training each week and two to three months away from any specific sport each year. Discussions of endurance sports and weekend tournaments are included. (See "Overtraining syndrome in athletes", section on 'Special considerations in the young athlete' .)

Benign acute childhood myositis (January 2024)

Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a self-limited syndrome associated with calf pain and creatinine kinase elevation, often following infection with influenza. In a retrospective study of 65 patients with BACM, the median age was 6.6 years and 66 percent of patients were male [ 3 ]. The most common symptoms were bilateral calf pain, refusal to walk, and diffuse weakness. The median creatinine kinase was 1827 U/L, which normalized after an average of seven days. Early recognition of this syndrome allows the clinician to avoid an unnecessary evaluation for other muscle diseases. (See "Overview of viral myositis", section on 'Benign acute childhood myositis' .)

Avulsion fractures of hip and pelvis in children (October 2023)

There are few large-scale studies of pelvic avulsion fractures in children. A retrospective review of over 700 children with pelvic or hip avulsion fractures from a single tertiary care hospital reported the average patient age was just over 14 years and nearly 80 percent were sustained by males [ 4 ]. The anterior-superior and inferior iliac spines and ischial tuberosity were the most common sites, accounting for over 80 percent of fractures. Most injuries were sustained while the patient was running or kicking during sport, most often football (soccer). The incidence of avulsion fracture rose substantially during the study period, 2005 to 2020. (See "Pelvic trauma: Initial evaluation and management", section on 'Epidemiology and mechanism' .)

MANAGEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES

Risk of reinjury following ACL repair (February 2024)

Despite advances in surgical techniques, the risk of reinjury following repair of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament remains substantial, ranging from 5 to 15 percent depending on the patient's age and activities. According to a systematic review of 71 studies involving over 600,000 patients, factors associated with an increased risk for retear following surgery include male sex, younger age, preoperative high-grade knee laxity, return to a high activity level or sport, and concomitant medial collateral ligament injury [ 5 ]. The modifiable factors identified highlight the importance of following a rigorous rehabilitation program and allowing time for complete healing before returning to sport. (See "Anterior cruciate ligament injury", section on 'Risk of reinjury' .)

Barbotage procedure for calcific tendinopathy of shoulder (January 2024)

To date, few high-quality studies have assessed the effectiveness of barbotage, an ultrasound-guided procedure to remove deposits in patients with calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder. In a recent, multicenter trial, 220 adults with calcific tendinopathy of at least three months duration were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: barbotage plus injection with glucocorticoid and analgesic; sham barbotage plus injection with glucocorticoid and analgesic; or, sham barbotage plus injection of analgesic alone [ 6 ]. At four months, patients in all three groups experienced moderate improvement in shoulder symptoms and function, but no significant differences were noted among treatment groups. At 24 months, neither barbotage with glucocorticoid injection nor glucocorticoid injection alone was superior to sham treatment (ie, analgesic injection alone). While barbotage is likely less effective than previously thought, we believe it remains a useful therapy for some patients. (See "Calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder", section on 'Barbotage' .)

Return to sport following stress fracture (November 2023)

Evidence is limited regarding return to sport (RTS) following stress fracture. A new systematic review of 76 studies involving nearly 3000 cases,provides some guidance; most of the studies were retrospective and involved predominately male athletes [ 7 ]. The lowest overall rates for RTS were reported for injuries of the femoral neck (55 percent), talus (69 percent), anterior tibial shaft (76 percent), and tarsal navicular (83 percent). The longest average times for RTS were reported for stress fractures of the tarsal navicular (127 days), femoral neck (107 days), and medial malleolus (106 days). These figures are averages, and healing for individuals may vary substantially given the many factors involved, including location within the bone, radiologic grade, duration of symptoms, compliance with treatment, and underlying bone health. Nevertheless, these findings inform treatment decisions and anticipatory guidance for athletes. (See "Overview of stress fractures", section on 'Return to activity' .)

Heavy load resistance exercise for tendinopathy (November 2023)

Evidence supporting the effectiveness of resistance exercise for the treatment of chronic (overuse) tendinopathy is growing. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 110 studies with just under 4000 subjects assessed research primarily involving the rotator cuff, Achilles, lateral elbow, and patellar tendons [ 8 ]. While noting that resistance dose was not well documented in many studies, researchers found consistent evidence that rehabilitation programs using resistance loads in excess of body weight and performed less frequently (ie, less than daily) demonstrated greater efficacy. These findings are consistent with our approach to treatment. (See "Overuse (persistent) tendinopathy: Overview of management", section on 'Heavy-load resistance training' .)

PREVENTION AND BIOMECHANICS OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES

Running injuries in high school and collegiate athletes (March 2024)

Although running is the most common form of exercise, few high-quality reviews of running-related injuries have been published. A recent systematic review that included 24 prospective cohort studies (nearly 2000 adolescent and young adult competitive runners) found that female runners sustained more injuries than their male counterparts [ 9 ]. All runners, but particularly females, with risk factors for relative energy deficiency in sport (REDS) experienced higher injury rates; athletes with weak hip and thigh muscles were at increased risk of developing anterior knee pain (eg, patellofemoral pain). This study also confirmed known risk factors, such as a history of prior running-related injury. Overall, study quality and certainty of evidence were low to moderate. These findings reinforce the importance of sound nutrition and adjunct strength training to prevent running injuries. (See "Running injuries of the lower extremities: Risk factors and prevention", section on 'Sex and age' .)

OTHER PRIMARY CARE SPORTS MEDICINE

New guidelines for management of mass participation sporting events (April 2024)

Mass participation sporting events such as marathons and sports tournaments continue to gain popularity, and sports medicine physicians are frequently called upon to organize and provide medical care at such events. The American College of Sports Medicine has published updated guidelines to assist clinicians providing these services [ 10 ]. The new guidelines address the increased focus on event security and health concerns stemming from environmental changes. Key concepts for medical planning include adequate preparation for catastrophic health problems, coordination with community medical services (including emergency departments and emergency medical services), and development or adoption of standardized protocols for the management of common and important medical conditions likely to occur. The new guidelines are largely consistent with our approach. (See "Preparation and management of mass-participation endurance sporting events", section on 'Key concepts and tasks' .)

• Delmonico RL, Tucker LY, Theodore BR, et al. Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Risk for Affective and Behavioral Disorders. Pediatrics 2024; 153.
• Brenner JS, Watson A, COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS. Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes. Pediatrics 2024; 153.
• Attaianese F, Costantino A, Benucci C, et al. Benign acute children myositis: 5 years experience in a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Eur J Pediatr 2023; 182:4341.
• Ferraro SL, Batty M, Heyworth BE, et al. Acute Pelvic and Hip Apophyseal Avulsion Fractures in Adolescents: A Summary of 719 Cases. J Pediatr Orthop 2023; 43:204.
• Zhao D, Pan JK, Lin FZ, et al. Risk Factors for Revision or Rerupture After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med 2023; 51:3053.
• Moosmayer S, Ekeberg OM, Hallgren HB, et al. Ultrasound guided lavage with corticosteroid injection versus sham lavage with and without corticosteroid injection for calcific tendinopathy of shoulder: randomised double blinded multi-arm study. BMJ 2023; 383:e076447.
• Hoenig T, Eissele J, Strahl A, et al. Return to sport following low-risk and high-risk bone stress injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2023; 57:427.
• Pavlova AV, Shim JSC, Moss R, et al. Effect of resistance exercise dose components for tendinopathy management: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2023; 57:1327.
• Joachim MR, Kuik ML, Krabak BJ, et al. Risk Factors for Running-Related Injury in High School and Collegiate Cross-country Runners: A Systematic Review. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024; 54:1.
• Herring SA, Kibler WB, Putukian M, et al. Mass Participation and Tournament Event Management for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement (2022 Update). Med Sci Sports Exerc 2024; 56:575.

The American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) is a national and international leader in sports medicine research related to clinical and surgical outcomes, biomechanics, and rehabilitation. The foci of ongoing studies at ASMI includes both clinical and biomechanical research, and our team includes researchers with expertise in motion capture biomechanics, cadaver joint biomechanics, outcomes research, clinical trials, biostatistics, and human anatomy.

ASMI’s mission is to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of sports-related injuries through research and education. In our strive for this mission, ASMI studies are regularly published in high-impact sports medicine journals, presented at scientific meetings, publicized in the media, and utilized in bodies creating sports safety policies. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is sports medicine? Sports medicine is a field of medicine concerned with the prevention and treatment of injuries and disorders that are related to participation in sports.
• Does your research only include athletes? The mission of ASMI is to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of sports-related injuries through research and education. This includes everyone from youth to professional athletes, as well as recreational adult athletes and people working to be healthy and fit. Our research team also explores treatment outcomes of non-athletes, particularly those with orthopaedic injuries or surgeries.
• What is the difference between biomechanical research and clinical research? ASMI’s biomechanics studies the motions and forces to minimize injury risk and maximize performance in sports. Other biomechanical studies at ASMI investigate the strength of human joints after surgery compared to their natural, undamaged state. Clinical research at ASMI involves both observational studies and clinical trials. Observational studies generally include examination of what is already occurring (no intervention), whereas clinical trials are carefully designed experiments that involve a specific treatment or intervention. Specifically, our clinical team works to evaluate surgical outcomes, rehabilitation efficacy, as well as injury mechanisms and prevention to improve treatment of sports-related and orthopaedic injuries. Importantly, our biomechanical and clinical research teams work closely together to fulfill the mission of ASMI.
• How can I get involved in research at ASMI? Being involved in ASMI research means contributing to knowledge that directly improves the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries. We work closely with our local physician and surgeon partners and other collaborators around the country and world to achieve these impactful research goals. Opportunities to participate in research at ASMI’s center in Birmingham are available for students and scholars of all levels. Learn more about how to get involved here .

Biomechanical Research

Our Biomechanical Research department works extensively to further our goal of preventing injury in sports.

Clinical Research

Our Clinical Research department is instrumental in improving treatment for sports related injuries.

Student Researcher Program

The Student Researcher Program is an opportunity for college undergraduate students, graduate students, and others to participate in research at ASMI for thesis or school credit.

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Sports Medicine and Immunization

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About this Research Topic

Systemic immunity, sports medicine, and exercise-induced immunomodulation are actively studied research areas that have a significant impact on health, fitness, longevity, and overall wellness. Exercise-induced immunomodulation may mediate some of the beneficial effects of regular exercise on health and disease resistance. Regular exercise also leads to more durable changes in immunity, characterized by enhanced resistance to infection through higher levels of antibodies and other effector molecules produced by B lymphocytes, as well as increased numbers or activity of natural killer cells. The mechanism leading to these changes mainly includes the change of cytokine production pattern, especially the increase of IL-6, IL-1β and TNFα, chemokines such as CXCL8/IL-8; Growth factors such as GM-CSF; Adhesion molecules involved in leukocyte migration, such as ICAM-1; Reactive oxygen species (ROS) -induced oxidative stress response during exercise; Epigenetic modification caused by DNA methylation at specific sites in gene promoter regions; the immune response caused by injured tissue microenvironment, implant or postoperative complications. So it makes sense to explore the evolution of molecular and osteocyte circuits in order to better understand their relationship with systemic immunity and immune homeostasis through quantitative dynamic modeling. For this topic, we will explore the new mechanisms by which different types of exercise affect evolutionary systems immunology, the new effects of different modes and intensities on immune cell populations, and the new findings of epigenetics in regulating the immune response induced by exercise, injured tissue microenvironment, implant or postoperative complications. We encourage researchers to submit high-quality observational, experimental, and review studies that provide evidence on biomechanics, physiology, and the underlying mechanisms of movement and tissue microenvironment. High-quality RCTS investigating the effects of exercise on immune regulation are particularly welcome. We are also interested in literature reviews, longitudinal cohort studies, or systematic reviews with meta-analyses.

Keywords : • Sports medicine, Exercise training, Immune modulation, Osteoimmunology, Osteoclast, Osteoblast, Osteocyte, Cytokines, Growth factors, Chemokines, Adhesion molecules, Epigenetic modification, Reactive oxygen species

Important Note : All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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Transforming sports medicine and orthopedic care through science, technology, and research.

Technology in orthopedics is rapidly changing, and the clinical practice of orthopedic surgery has advanced due to these innovations. The orthopedic and sports medicine research program at MedStar Health is closely aligned with its world-class clinical programs, where there is close collaboration between orthopedic surgeons, research fellows, and engineers. Surgical training and teaching laboratories are provided in a one-on-one setting. Multidisciplinary research focuses on degenerative, deformity, traumatic, and congenital pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.

Current research topics

Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Research at MedStar Health is committed to advancing medicine and orthopedic care by exploring new treatment approaches and novel surgical procedures and using the latest technological advancements to better understand how the human body moves. Our investigators are leading innovative research studies that seek to enhance the care for patients with orthopedic, sports injury, and musculoskeletal conditions. Areas of expertise include:

3-D printing

Biomechanical testing

Foot and ankle injuries and conditions

Golf medicine

Gait analysis

Hand and wrist injuries and conditions

Injury control

In-vivo biological modeling

Joint replacement

Kinesiology

Musculoskeletal

Orthopedic clinical trials

Pre-participation exams and clinical screening

Protective athletic equipment

Radiography

Injury prevention and control

Rehabilitation

Shoulder and elbow injuries and conditions

Spine injuries and conditions

Sports medicine

Sports equipment evaluation

Research labs and resources

Researchers in orthopedic and sports medicine at MedStar Health have access to several state-of-the-art labs to conduct their research. A total of 10,000 square feet of well-equipped research space is dedicated to orthopedic research and surgical skills training. These facilities support resident and fellow projects and education, company-sponsored grants, and NIH and foundation-funded research.

Biomechanical Research and Surgical Techniques and Technology (STAT) and Laboratories

The Biomechanical Research Laboratory at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital is dedicated to performing advanced biomechanical experiments. This laboratory is one of the first research labs in the country to use a KUKA QUANTEC Robotic Arm . This 6-degree-of-freedom simulator can mimic natural joint kinetics and kinematics to test orthopedic implants and novel therapies. The robotic manipulator controller receives data from a 3D tracking camera and various external transducers simultaneously to measure parameters such as displacement, joint forces and torques, and contact pressure. Static and fatigue testing of specimens can also be conducted in the laboratory using a hydraulic MTS Bionix unit. The Surgical Techniques and Technology (STAT) Laboratory is a state-of-the-art laboratory offering multi-station facilities for surgical techniques training. The conference room and lab area have interactive audio/visual connections to two MedStar Union Memorial Hospital’s OR suites, providing an ideal environment for training in innovative surgical techniques. For more information, contact Biomechanical Research and STAT laboratories director Pooyan Abbasi, MS, at [email protected] .

Musculoskeletal Research Center

Onsite at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MRC) is a state-of-the-art 3,500 square-foot laboratory dedicated to musculoskeletal research with core areas of research capability stratified into six categories:

• Micro-Computed Tomography
• Biomechanical Testing
• 3D Printing
• In vivo biological modeling
• Resident and fellowship training

  Fully equipped with the latest advancements in robotics and virtual laboratory training, the MRC is designed to serve as a regional resource center for researchers, residents, fellows, and attending clinicians within the MedStar Health network and a site for collaboration between private industry and academic centers. This laboratory contains a 6-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) musculoskeletal simulator designed to apply controlled multidirectional motions in flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotations to musculoskeletal structures. An optoelectronic motion analysis system is typically integrated into biomechanical testing platforms to quantify and compare segmental kinematics after destabilizing or reconstructing musculoskeletal structures. For further information, contact the MRC director, Bryan W. Cunningham, PhD, at [email protected] .

Microsurgical Laboratory

The Microsurgical Laboratory, accredited by the AAALAC, is available for pre-clinical research studies and training in microsurgical procedures. The facility contains three dissecting microscopes and a full complement of related microsurgical instruments. In-depth training courses are available on a wide array of microsurgical neurovascular models. For more information, please contact Sione Fanua, Microsurgery Instructor, Researcher, Microsurgical Lab, at [email protected] .

Curtis National Hand Center

Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory

The Innovation in Motion Laboratory (iMoLab) is a state-of-the-art laboratory for human movement analysis aimed at advancing new methods and technologies for the characterization, augmentation, and restoration of motor functions. Research activities cross multiple disciplines, including engineering, kinesiology, and medicine, strongly emphasizing biomechanics, robotics, rehabilitation, athletic training, and neuroscience. For further information please contact Dario Martelli PhD, Director, Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory at [email protected] .

Sports Medicine and Concussion

MedStar sports medicine’s orthopedic and sports health research division conducts clinical research that enhances patient outcomes and improves sports safety by performing innovative research in orthopedics and sports medicine. Investigations focus on clinical research in injury prevention and control, injury epidemiology, biomechanics, rehabilitation, and kinesiology to improve physical performance, reduce the risk of injury in sports and exercise, conduct clinical drug trials, and evaluate sports equipment. Investigators within the sports medicine and concussion program have conducted numerous collaborative research which includes:

• Trends in concussion Incidence in high school sports
• The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among active professional (NFL) football players
• The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among retired professional (NFL) football players
• The epidemiology of mild traumatic brain injury in boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse players
• A study of head, face, and eye injuries in scholastic and collegiate lacrosse
• Descriptive epidemiology of youth baseball injuries
• A long-term prospective study of ACL repair vs. reconstruction
• Creation of the MedStar NewClip Center for Knee Preservation, with a mission to advance the science of minimally invasive, anatomy preserving interventions in the knee that will allow the healthy fit and athletically inclined patients to continue their pursuits.

For more information, please contact James Dreese, MD, Director of Sports Medicine Research, [email protected] .

Awards and recognitions

• Recently, MedStar Union Memorial was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 orthopedic program in the country, ranking #48 out of more than 4,500 hospitals. We also earned the highest rating possible in hip replacement and knee replacement.
• MedStar Health researchers have partnered with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the U.S. National Lacrosse program, among other sports teams, on studies examining injury prevention, minimally invasive treatment options, and recovery.
• Our clinician-scientists have access to the latest technology and are making use of innovative surgical techniques, prostheses, and devices, including novel 3D printing technology, to find new and better ways to care for orthopedic conditions and joint injuries.
• MedStar Health is home to world-class residency and fellowship programs in orthopedics.

Research and Teaching Awards:

• The 2023 Roger H. Michael Resident Project Award for Outstanding Achievement in Orthopedic Research was awarded to Sean Sequeira MD, Brian McCormick MD, Mark Hasenauer MD, and Henry Boucher MD for their research: Home health care is associated with an increased risk of emergency department visit, readmission, and cost of care without reducing risk of complication: a propensity-score analysis.
• The 2023 Roger H. Michael Fellow Project Award for Outstanding Achievement in Orthopedic Research was awarded to MitchTarka MD, and Greg Guyton, MD, for their research: Data censoring likely biased the largest randomized trial of Achilles tendon rupture treatment against surgery: a Monte Carlo analysis.
• The 2023 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Teaching was awarded to Mark Hasenauer, M.D.

Grants Awarded:

• Haislup B, Wright MA, Sanghavi KK, Giladi A, Thomas A. The intersection of racial and spatial inequalities on utilization and outcomes for common orthopedic procedures. Awarded the 2021 MedStar Early Investigator Grant.
• Miller SD. First MTP fusion using staple compression plates. Awarded a Depuy/Synthes IIS Grant.
• Pivazyan G, Tortolani PJ, Lucas SL, Beaufort AR, Brooks DM, Mueller KB, Cunningham BW. Quantitative histomorphological characterization of human cervical nerve roots to determine the relationship with postoperative C5 palsy. Awarded the 2020 CSRS 21st Century Research Grant.
• Wright MA, Murthi A, Stein JA, Ashmyan R. Limited health literacy in patients with rotator cuff tears: risk factors and outcome effects. Awarded ASES Candidate Research Grant.

Research and scientific leadership

Total joint replacement surgery

Henry Boucher, MD Physician Executive Director MedStar Orthopedic Institute Baltimore Chairman of Orthopedics, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital

Mark Hasenauer, MD

Robert McKinstry, MD

Foot and ankle surgery

Gregory Guyton, MD

C. Walter Hembree, MD

Stuart Miller, MD

Jacob Wisbeck, MD

Spine surgery

Mesfin Lemma, MD

Paul McAfee, MD

Brad Moatz, MD

Shoulder and elbow surgery

Anand Murthi, MD

Jason Stein, MD

Wiemi Douoguih, MD Orthopedic Surgeon, member MedStar Orthopedic Institute Regional Medical Director, MedStar Sports Medicine Director of Sports Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Steven Svoboda, MD Orthopedic Surgeon, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital

Team physician - NHL’s Washington Capitals, Major League Rugby’s Old Glory DC Rugby Club, and Prince George’s County High Schools

James Dreese, MD

Allison Fillar, MD

Richard Hinton, MD

Richard Levine, MD

Milford Marchant, MD

Jason Hammond, MD

Surgical Technique and Technology (STAT) Lab

Pooyan Abbasi, MsC Director, STAT Laboratory PhD candidate in Robotics

Microsurgical lab

Sione Fanua Researcher, Microsurgical Laboratory

Musculoskeletal Research & Innovation Center

Bryan Cunningham, PhD Scientific Director, Musculoskeletal Research Center

Aviram Giladi, MD Scientific Director, Orthopedics at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital Research Director, The Curtis National Hand Center

Christopher Forthman, MD

James Higgins, MD

Peter Innis, MD

Ryan Katz, MD

Kenneth Means, MD

Keith Segalman, MD

Neal Zimmerman, MD

Ryan Zimmerman, MD

Gait and Motion Analysis Lab

Dario Martelli, PhD Senior Research Scientist Director Gait and Motion Analysis Lab

Research administration

Amy Loveland Director, Scientific Center Administrator (SCA) Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Research

Learn more about our work

Renovation Project Begins at Curtis National Hand Center  (May 3, 2023)

5 tips for optimizing recovery after ACL surgery  (April 26, 2023)

Researchers at MedStar Health use the BEAR Implant to repair ACL tears in surgery and evaluate outcomes (March 28, 2022)

Researchers at Curtis National Hand Center compare effectiveness of new surgical approach to treat painful neuromas  (March 21, 2022)

Robotic arm helps doctors at MedStar Union Memorial with orthopedic testing (November 11, 2022)

MedStar Health’s MSK institute introduces robotic arm to test orthopedic implants (November 3, 2022)

The MedStar Health Musculoskeletal Research and Innovation Center one of the first research labs in the country to use KUKA QUANTEC Robotic Arm (November 2, 2022)

Search Principal Investigators

If you would like to learn more about MedStar’s researchers and scientists, please visit our Principal Investigator search portal.

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The 100 Most-Cited and Influential Articles in Collegiate Athletics

Anna s. jenkins.

* Alix School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

Jordan R. Pollock

M. lane moore, justin l. makovicka.

† Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Joseph C. Brinkman

Anikar chhabra, background:.

Bibliometric citation analyses have been widely used in medicine to help researchers gain foundational knowledge about a topic and identify subtopics of popular interest for further investigations. There is a lack of similar research in collegiate athletics.

To identify the 100 most-cited research publications related to collegiate athletics.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study.

The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to generate a list of articles relating to collegiate athletics on January 24, 2022. Articles were filtered by the total number of citations, and the 100 most-cited articles were selected. For each article, we identified and analyzed the following: author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, main research topic area, competitive level, sex of study population, and level of evidence.

Of the top 100 most-cited articles, 63 were related to medicine. In total, 96% of articles were published in the United States, and 80% were published in the year 2000 or later. Of the top 100 articles, 85 were observational; only 5 were experimental. The sport most represented was soccer, followed by football, baseball, and basketball. Of the top 100 articles, 21 were published in a single journal, the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Ten authors published ≥5 of the top 100 most-cited studies.

Conclusion:

The majority of top 100 articles were published in the United States after 1999 and primarily focused on medicine-related topics. Soccer was studied by more articles than football, baseball, and basketball. An author’s prestige may have influenced the likelihood of citation. The top 100 most-cited studies provide researchers, medical students, residents, and fellows with a foundational list of the most important and influential academic contributions to the literature on collegiate athletics.

Since their organization in the 19th century, collegiate sports have been a source of national attention. 102 The predominate governing body of collegiate athletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was founded in 1906 in response to escalating concern over injuries and deaths in collegiate sports. 132 Today, >503,000 students compete in the NCAA and attract a fandom of >180 million people. 98 , 133 In 2019, the NCAA generated >$18.9 billion in revenue. 131 In addition to the NCAA, 2 smaller divisions of collegiate athletics—the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and National Junior College Athletic Association—include >77,000 and >59,000 athletes, respectively. 130 , 134 Furthermore, many college students participate in nonvarsity sports, with >20% reporting club or intermural sport involvement. 8

With such widespread participation and following, it is no surprise that collegiate athletics have long been a focus of research in the scientific and medical communities. It can be difficult to identify the most significant and influential findings related to collegiate athletics, as topics of interest are ever growing and include students' academic success, 28 , 123 , 160 discrimination, 57 , 61 , 141 sponsorship, 151 , 154 , 163 player mental health, 80 , 150 injury epidemiology, 2 , 60 and mechanics of injury. 122 , 139

Bibliometric analyses provide a helpful way to condense this rapidly evolving research and focus on the most influential scientific articles. Articles with more citations are often considered more influential; as such, bibliometric citation analyses provide quantitative representation of the impact of a specific article. 1 , 38 , 75 , 76 , 142 Bibliometric citation analyses have been widely used in medicine, § medical education, 14 biomechanics, 92 ecology, 167 biotechnology, 25 and various other fields. 10 , 58 , 109 These analyses help researchers gain foundational knowledge about a topic and identify subtopics of popular interest for further investigations. 1 , 142

Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to identify the 100 most highly cited research publications related to collegiate athletics. Because safety has been a focus of conversation since collegiate athletics’ advent and because injuries remain prevalent today, we hypothesized that medicine-related research would compose the greatest proportion of highly cited publications within the 100 most highly cited publications related to collegiate athletics.

This study was exempt from institutional review board approval. The methods of our study were conceived from similar bibliometric analyses. 121 , 124 , 125 The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to gather data and article information on January 24, 2022. 42 As the focus of our study relates to the collegiate athlete, our final Boolean search terms were as follows: Topic Sentence [(college athlete OR collegiate athlete OR athlete college)] OR [(college OR collegiate OR university) AND (athlete OR athletic OR athletics OR sport OR sports)]. All years dating back to 1950 and all specialty databases within the Web of Knowledge were selected. Using these search terms, we found 9362 articles, including all languages, journals, dates, and countries of origin.

These results were sorted by citation count. Two authors (J.R.P. and M.L.M.) independently reviewed the title and abstract of each article for final inclusion in this bibliometric analysis. Only studies with direct study of college-enrolled athletes as research participants were included for analysis. There were no restrictions on age of participants, sport, sex, or country. Studies with participants not in college (ie, high school, recreational, semiprofessional, and professional) were included only if collegiate participants were a part of the study. If it remained unclear whether an article met inclusion criteria, the full article was obtained and reviewed by the senior author(A.C.). We excluded studies where collegiate athletes were not the focus or participant group of the study. The final 100 studies that met our inclusion criteria for collegiate sports were found after 2 authors (J.R.P. and M.L.M.) reviewed the first 189 most-cited studies. See Appendix Table A1 for a list of the 100 most-cited articles relating to collegiate sports.

The resulting 100 studies were reviewed by the same 2 authors to obtain relevant article information pertaining to our analysis. The variables were as follows: publication year, times cited, number of citations per year, title, category of research (original research, review article, descriptive/epidemiology, case study, short communication, letter to the editor, editorial, and thesis), main research topic area (sports medicine, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, training and testing, performance analysis, sport psychology, coaching, and social sciences), level of evidence, type of study (observational, experimental, or review), sex (male, female, male and female, unspecified), competitive level (NCAA Division I, II, III), additional population studied (high school, professional, etc), sports studied, country of origin, authors, and journal title.

The levels of evidence were determined according to the standards set by the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and determined by 2 authors (J.R.P. and M.L.M.). 112 If consensus was not reached, the senior author was consulted on the classification of each article. An article simply reviewing a subject was classified as an “expert opinion,” while the classification of “review article” was reserved for those studies involving a systematic assessment of the literature, such as a meta-analysis. The citation density of each article was calculated by dividing the total number of citations by the number of years since the publication. All data collection and analysis were completed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp).

The 100 most-cited publications related to collegiate athletics are listed in Appendix Table A1 , with their rank, number of citations, and citation density. The top 4 articles were cited >1000 times, and the range within the top 100 was 161 to 1265 total citations. The mean number of citations per article was 292.35, while the median was 233.5. Citation densities ranged from 7.3 to 84.3. The average citation density was 17.8, and the median was 13.4. Among the 20 publications with the greatest citation densities, the average citation density was 37.0. Within the top 20 articles, 19 focused on sports medicine, and 8 were published in 2005 or later.

The top 100 articles were published in 42 journals, and the 3 journals with the majority of articles were the American Journal of Sports Medicine (n = 21), Journal of Athletic Training (n = 13), and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (n = 7) ( Table 1 ). Seventeen journals published ≥2 articles. In terms of author impact, 10 authors published ≥5 of the top 100 most-citied articles ( Table 2 ). The 3 authors with the majority of articles from the top 100 were R. Dick (n = 9), S.W. Marshal (n = 8), J. Agel (n = 7), M.W. Collins (n=7), and M.R. Lovell (n=7).

Journal of Publication for the 100 Most-Cited Articles in Collegiate Athletics a

a Only journals with ≥2 articles were included in this table.

Authors With ≥3 Publications in the Top 100 Most-Cited Articles Relating to Collegiate Athletics

Characteristics of the top 100 articles are analyzed in Figures 1 to ​ to4. 4 . Publication dates ranged from 1981 to 2015 ( Figure 1 ). Of the top 100 articles, 80 were published in the year 2000 or later. The top 5 cited articles were published in 2007, 2003, 1995, 2003, and 2007. The year 2007 had the largest number of articles in the top 100 (n = 14). The number of citations that each of the top 100 articles received per year ranged from 11 (in 1982) to 1599 (in 2019) ( Figure 2 ). The United States was the country of origin for 96 of the 100 articles ( Figure 3 ). Other countries were Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Taiwan (each with 1 publication). The majority of articles were evidence levels 3 (n = 41) and 4 (n = 52) ( Figure 4 ).

Number of articles by year of publication of the 100 most-cited articles relating to collegiate athletics.

Number of citations generated by the 100 most-cited articles relating to collegiate athletics each year.

The 100 most-cited articles relating to collegiate athletics by country of origin.

The 100 most-cited articles relating to collegiate athletics by level of evidence.

Of the 100 most-cited publications related to collegiate athletics, 74 were classified as original research; 17, as descriptive/epidemiology research; and 9, as review ( Table 3 ). The research design for the majority of the top 100 articles was observational (n = 85), followed by review (n = 10). Just 5 articles in the top 100 were experimental.

Descriptive Data of Top 100 Most-Cited Articles Relating to Collegiate Athletics a

a NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The majority of top 100 articles related to collegiate athletics fell under the topic of sports medicine (n = 63). The second-most common topic of research was training and testing (n = 12), followed by biomechanics (n = 7). Other topics were physiology (n = 6), sports psychology (n = 5), social science (n = 4), performance analysis (n = 2), and nutrition (n = 1).

The majority of articles in the top 100 focused on male and female athletes (n = 56). There were 23 articles focusing on male athletes only, and 14 articles focusing on women only. Seven articles did not explicitly specify whether the study participants were male or female. Of the 100 most-cited publications relating to collegiate sports, 75 focused solely on the collegiate athlete population. Of the articles that included an athlete population in addition to collegiate athletes, 21 included high school athletes, and 8 included professional athletes. The top 100 articles related to collegiate athletics researched a variety of sports ( Table 4 ). The most highly represented sport was soccer (n = 47), followed by football (n = 45) and baseball/softball (n = 40).

Sports Studied in the Top 100 Most-Cited Articles Relating to Collegiate Athletics

The purpose of this study was to identify the top 100 most-cited articles and examine which factors predicted an article’s impact within the field of collegiate athletics. As hypothesized, the majority of highly cited publications were medicine related. This trend remained true when analyzing citation density, with 19 of the top 20 articles relating to sports medicine specifically. The dominance of medically related articles may reflect the importance of research related to injury treatment and prevention. With so many of the top 100 articles focusing on medicine, physicians who treat collegiate athletes will benefit from a review of the articles in our analysis: physical therapists, athletic trainers, collegiate coaches, family care physicians, internal medicine physicians, and orthopaedic surgeons who serve student-athletes.

This study was the first to conduct a bibliometric analysis broadly inclusive of all collegiate athletics–related publications, as prior bibliometric analyses related to collegiate athletics included only articles with a medical or scientific focus. 90 The finding that the majority of top articles broadly related to collegiate athletics were medically focused underscores the importance of medicine in the field of collegiate sports. An estimated 210,674 injuries occur in the NCAA per year, 89 and these can have lasting effects on students’ mental and physical well-being. 30 , 50 , 80 , 150 Injury treatment and prevention appear to be at the forefront of discussion. Although other topics of discrimination are a source of frequent discussion in the media today, 57 , 61 , 141 such as mental health 80 , 150 and compensation 151 , 154 , 163 of collegiate athletes, no related publications were in the top 100 most-cited articles.

The top-cited article in our list had 1265 citations and was related to the epidemiology of 15 collegiate sports (Appendix Table A1 ). Comparatively, a bibliometric analysis focused on overhead throwing athletes found that the top-cited article had 471 citations, 111 an analysis on sports and medicine in football found that the top-cited article had 869 citations, 31 and an analysis on the broader field of sports and exercise medicine found that the top-cited article had 7228 citations. 90 As with other citation analyses related to sports medicine, the majority of our top-cited articles were published within the past 2 decades, reflecting rapid growth in research within the field. 31 , 90 , 121

In our study, 96 of the top 100 articles were published within the United States. This is somewhat expected, as collegiate sports are very popular in North America, along with the rapidly growing field of sports medicine. However, >20,000 NCAA athletes are international, with the majority from Canada followed by the United Kingdom. The absence of any top publications from these 2 countries may reflect the uniquely American interest in collegiate athletics.

Prior bibliometric analyses found that soccer is the most frequently researched sport across top articles relating to sports and athletics. 77 , 90 In alignment with these prior works, we found that soccer was the most highly represented sport in the top 100 articles related to collegiate athletics. However, our study focused on collegiate athletics, and unlike other studies, the majority of the top 100 articles in this study were based in the United States. As football, baseball, and basketball predominate in popularity in the United States, it was unexpected that soccer would be the most represented sport in the top articles. 74 Notwithstanding, football, baseball, and basketball were the next-most represented sports in our findings. This may reflect that popularity of a sport is not as influential a factor as ease of research or injury patterns.

Of the top 100 most-cited articles related to collegiate athletics, the American Journal of Sports Medicine published 21, followed by the Journal of Athletic Training with 13 ( Table 1 ). As citation analysis has been used to evaluate journal impact, individuals hoping to stay up-to-date on the most influential publications in collegiate athletics might consider following these journals. 75 , 76 A recent bibliometric analysis on sports and exercise medicine found that the majority of top-cited sports medicine articles were similarly published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine . 90 Our findings corroborate these results. Interestingly, when compared with broader studies not focused on collegiate athletics, the international participation is much greater in publishing top-cited articles. 10 , 77 , 90 , 96 This difference between our collegiate-focused study and their broader study again demonstrates the American-centric focus of research specific to collegiate athletics.

Ten authors published ≥5 of the top 100 articles, reflecting the dominance of certain researchers in the field of collegiate athletes. This finding may illustrate the prolificity of these authors; it may also suggest that author prestige plays a role in the likelihood that an article is cited. Publications including authors already well established in the field of collegiate athletics may have an easier time gaining recognition and accruing citations.

As seen in Figure 3 , the majority of publications were level 3 and 4 evidence, reflecting the predominance of observational studies. Only 7 articles were levels 1 and 2. This finding is similar to that of the most-cited articles in sports and exercise medicine. 90

Limitations

The publications in this study were based on citation numbers alone. This metric, although useful in identifying highly influential articles, is influenced by a variety of factors, such as time since publication. As such, it should not be used as the sole determinate of impact. Citation density, as included in our study, may be useful to researchers as they seek to explore the most current influential research. A related limitation of our findings is the exclusion of newer publications. This is a limitation of bibliometric analyses in general, as newer publications have not had time to accrue citations and prior work has demonstrated that it takes several years for prominent articles to peak in recognition and citation. 6 , 75 , 83 An additional limitation is our use of only 1 database, the Web of Knowledge. This database is commonly used in bibliometric analyses, but use of other databases may result in slightly different findings. ∥

Our search found that most publications related to collegiate athletics were medicine related. The majority of articles were level 4 evidence, published after 2005, and from the United States. Soccer was the most studied sport. An author’s prestige may have influenced likelihood of citation, with 10 authors publishing ≥5 of the top 100 most-cited studies in collegiate sports.

Top 100 Most-Cited Articles Relating to Collegiate Athletics

§ References 7 , 15 , 16 , 25 , 63 , 69 , 94 , 97 , 103 , 104 , 121 , 124 , 125 .

∥ References 5 , 19 , 20 , 35 , 87 , 99 , 129 , 156 .

Final revision submitted February 8, 2022; accepted April 11, 2022.

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: A.C. has received consulting fees from Arthrex, Trice Medical, and Zimmer Biomet and speaking fees from Arthrex. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Ethical approval was not sought for the present study.

Longer sprint intervals can improve muscle oxygen utilization compared to shorter intervals

Using a multifaceted approach, scientists reveal the ideal duration and repetition of sprint interval training.

Physical activities like jogging, walking, cycling, and sprinting are activities known to engage the musculoskeletal system and result in the utilization of energy. Sprint interval training (SIT) is a type of sprinting exercise that involves cycles of intense exercise followed by a short duration of rest. How the durations of exercise and rest are structured can affect the impact of SIT on physiological responses. In recent years, the field of sports physiology has witnessed increased interest in optimizing SIT protocols. This surge can enhance the recognition of SIT's efficacy in improving athletic performance and overall well-being, highlighting its versatility as a tool for promoting health and fitness.

Now, in an effort to highlight the benefits of SIT, a team of researchers from Japan, comprising Dr. Takaki Yamagishi from the Department of Sport Science and Research, Japan Institute of Sports Sciences and Human Performance Laboratory at the Comprehensive Research Organization at Waseda University, and Professor Yasuo Kawakami who directs the Human Performance Lab and is from the Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, conducted SIT experiments with healthy human volunteers in a recent study. This study was published online in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal on March 7, 2024.

Explaining the motivation behind their research work, Yamagishi says, "Establishing a minimum dose of exercise training to bring about training benefits, such as aerobic fitness, has been one of my main research interests. Due to the support from Prof. Kawakami and other co-authors, along with the collaboration with Waseda University, this unique research work using a multifaceted approach was possible."

The team of researchers matched two different sprint interval exercises (SIE) for the total duration of sprint and sprint-to-rest ratio. They analyzed the influence of SIE on physiological and metabolic responses by examining pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 ) levels and changes in tissue oxygenation index (∆TOI) in thigh muscles. Additionally, they utilized the T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to assess the activation of thigh muscles.

The researchers highlight that SIE20, comprising of two 20-second sprints with 160-second recovery, outperformed SIE10, which involved four 10-second sprints with 80-second recovery. While both the SIE protocols significantly increased whole-body and peripheral oxidative metabolism and the activation of the major thigh muscles, as indicated by the increases in V̇O 2 levels, ∆TOI and MRI T2 values, respectively, greater peripheral oxidative metabolism was achieved with SIE20. They also observed that successive sprint repetitions in SIE10 did not correlate with greater oxidative metabolism.

Elaborating on the real-life applications and impact of the present research, Yamagishi says, "In today's fast-moving world, lack of time is a major hindrance to regular physical activity. However, the exercise modalities employed in our study require less than 15 minutes to complete and provide considerable health benefits."

In summary, the findings from this study can address important research gaps in SIT, such as the effects of minimum sprint duration and repetitions on aerobic and metabolic responses in humans. In-depth studies on low-volume SIT have the potential to improve training programs and exercise regimens. Sharing his concluding thoughts, Yamagishi says, "Exercise guidelines proposed by major organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine are updated every 5 to 10 years, and we are hopeful that our study can be a part of it. Future studies on SIE can build on our findings to establish the dose-response relationship between exercise volume or intensity and the degree of training adaptations."

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Waseda University . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Takaki Yamagishi, Soya Iwata, Shun Otsuka, Hoshizora Ichinose, Yasuo Kawakami. Physiological and Metabolic Responses to Low-Volume Sprint Interval Exercises: Influence of Sprint Duration and Repetitions . Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise , 2024; DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000003420

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May 15, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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How science is changing the game in sports

by Geoff Egan and Lucy Cameron, CSIRO

It's an open secret that the countries that win the most medals in the Olympics and Paralympics combine talent and technology.

Australia's athletes are preparing for the next three Olympics and Paralympics in Paris in 2024, Los Angeles in 2028, and Brisbane in 2032. Meanwhile, our sports scientists are developing new technologies to help improve sports performance across a range of fields.

Emerging digital technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum sensing are now in play, as athletes look for a new kind of competitive advantage. Athletes, teams, and coaches across the world are exploring how AI-assisted tools can "up their game," improve performance and reduce injuries.

Some of these technologies could come to your local club before you know it. Software offering insights into athletic performance and strategy is becoming more accessible, and AI-powered officiating is on the horizon. Soon, AI could be the third umpire at your local cricket match.

AI could help athletes stay healthy and recover faster

Each athlete has unique biochemistry, psychology, and physiology. They respond to working out, nutrition, and competition differently. Its why high-performance training is becoming increasingly personalized.

An athlete-centered approach to training and development was first developed in the para-athlete areas. Now it's being transferred to able-bodied sports with the assistance of digital technologies .

Eagle-eyed sports fans may have noticed footballers from multiple codes wearing vests under jerseys, or devices stitched in jerseys between their shoulder blades. These biometric trackers can provide information for coaches to monitor individual performance. This data can be combined with AI to improve performance, prevent long- and short-term injury, and optimize training.

Quantum sensors can profile the biochemistry of athletes in new ways. Quantum technology opens a range of outcomes such as different plays for injury prevention. It can also be used in drug testing, providing faster and more accurate testing than the current methods.

Combining large and disparate datasets from wearables, cameras, and body samples, sports scientists are creating digital twins of athletes that can be tested in various environments to predict performance. The digital replica can also be tweaked to advise on nutrition, technique, and strategy.

For example, a digital twin may be able to test variations of techniques to find the optimum way for a swimmer's body to move through water. A rower may be able to test multiple variations on their technique to improve their performance.

AI could drive better sports analytics

Looking for insight into what science has brought to sport? You don't need to look further than your TV.

Sophisticated player analytics are included in most major sports broadcasts. Gone are the days when the only statistics you saw in a footy game or cricket match was the score. Player performance and tracking are regularly updated on NRL and AFL matches. Cricket and tennis popularized ball-tracking technology.

Networks of on-field sensors and cameras capture computer vision of play. This can be combined with AI to analyze new dimensions of player and team performance, leading to adjustments in training and coaching. AI is also being used to inform players of their opponent's strengths and weaknesses mid-match.

AI can even assist in officiating —providing extra eyes and angles to determine line calls and whether players are onside or offside.

AI could level the playing field

And it's not just elite athletes that are benefiting from sports science . Parents and amateur coaches can use low-cost player vision, captured on apps on smartphones and tablets, to provide information on team dynamics and play.

More sophisticated setups include dynamic heat-maps of the play on the field and game analytics. There are existing coding libraries that can offer more tailored analytics and visualizations. Greater access to coaching information also necessitates stringent safeguards concerning the ethics, privacy, and usage of data and images, particularly for children in sport.

Volunteer-run local sporting competitions often struggle to find umpires and referees, AI officials could provide volunteer umpires and referees with computer-powered backup. Amateur players could have access to an AI-powered video umpire to confirm controversial decisions.

The use of video and AI in officiating has become controversial in some areas of high-performance sport. But it could show its true potential as it becomes available to leagues at all levels .

AI can keep our exercise goals on track

If you use an app to log your morning run or ride, you could already be part of the data-driven revolution in sport.

Digital technologies are changing the way people experience sports. Apps for running, cycling, and training are engaging a new generation of exercise and sports enthusiasts.

Wearable devices, most notably smart watches, are helping people track their exercise to understand their progress over time better and encourage them to work out. AI can help personalize workouts to a person's fitness levels and goals. AI-powered pose estimation tools can act as a personal yoga instructor, helping correct poses or techniques.

But AI could be an ethical sticky wicket

However, some ethical concerns remain. Is too much information skewing athletes' intuitive skills or undermining their confidence?

Our Collaborative Intelligence Future Science Platform is exploring the science of human-AI collaboration. The team is researching how AI can be best incorporated into the human workflow. The focus is on ensuring a shared understanding of the situation that the human and AI are collaborating on, and instilling trust throughout the process. Research programs like this can examine how athletes use and respond to available data, ensuring that the sports technologies are being applied correctly.

The ethics of using personal data from athletes are also evolving to ensure technologies are trusted and safe. In 2020 a group of organizations, led by the Australian Academy of Science, published a report Getting ahead of the Game . It highlighted growing concern about sensitive health data being collected from athletes through digital and other technologies.

Since then, the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport have been proactive in developing position statements and safeguards for certain technologies in sports training programs. This is about the use of athlete data in terms of privacy, safety and cybersecurity, and ensuring that data is not used for any purpose without consent.

As we continue embarking on a world of technology in sport science, it is important to grow the next generation of graduates skilled and enabled in the AI, emerging technologies and quantum space. We are still highly active in sports science fields.

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What Premed Students Should Know About Emerging Fields of Medical Research

Aspiring physician-scientists should bone up on areas such as gene editing, nanotechnology and regenerative medicine.

Premeds and Emerging Medical Research

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If you find a field that interests you, don't hesitate to join a like-minded laboratory while training.

Premedical students aspiring to become physician-scientists will be tasked with navigating emerging fields in research and translating exciting discoveries into the clinical realm. Understanding the latest trends and breakthroughs in biomedical science is paramount for those hoping to bridge the gap between such cutting-edge research and clinical practice – a career goal for many aspiring physician-scientists.

What are these emerging fields, what should aspiring physician-scientists – including those applying to combined M.D.-Ph.D. programs – know about getting involved in these fields, and are there any pitfalls? 

This is an extraordinarily exciting time in scientific research, with recent breakthroughs in diverse fields such as gene editing, immunotherapies, nanotechnology, precision medicine, machine learning and regenerative medicine. Highlights run the gamut of the biomedical spectrum, including evolutionary genomics, novel neurotechnology, advances in cardiovascular imaging, cell-based therapies and therapeutic manipulation of the microbiome, to name a few.

Aspiring physician-scientists will undoubtedly be tempted to ride this wave of exciting discoveries and join laboratories moving the needle in these fields, many of which are still in their infancy. 

Premed students should be aware of these emerging fields, as these advances are expected to contribute increasingly to health care throughout the coming decades and will undoubtedly remain important for the duration of a lengthy career in medicine .

These fields are likely to hold long-term career opportunities for students interested in biomedical research. They also represent opportunities to contribute to innovation, be involved in groundbreaking discoveries and help shape the future of science and medicine.

Many emerging fields are exciting in part due to new or newly appreciated applications to clinical practice, with direct implications for patient care . By understanding these emerging fields, premed students will remain informed and up to date regarding novel treatment paradigms, new diagnostic tools and different preventive strategies that could benefit their future patients. 

Students’ research interests often evolve during undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education. Many fascinating fields of biomedical science are neither new nor well known, and they deserve serious consideration. You will have multiple opportunities to change fields should your interests diverge at any point, so you should not feel locked in to the discipline of your first research experience.

However, if you do have a genuine intellectual interest in a popular scientific field at an early phase of training, don’t hesitate to join such a like-minded laboratory. 

Finding a Laboratory in Emerging Research Fields

If you are a premed student interested in an exciting field like cancer immunotherapy, genomics, AI-enabled precision medicine , etc., you may struggle to understand which laboratories would be appropriate and rewarding to join and a good fit for your career goals.

To start, assess the research landscape at your home institution through departmental web pages and note which faculty in your field of interest are involved in active research projects. Get in touch with a few faculty members and discuss the possibility of joining their laboratory.

As you learn about their research projects, you can also ask if they know of other labs in the same field that may also be of interest. Often, research faculty themselves are the best resource for understanding the current research landscape of the university, as departmental web pages and related resources can be out of date. 

Departmental administrators or undergraduate research coordinators may also be quite helpful in finding a lab in a specific area that would be a good fit for an undergraduate student. If you read a lay press article – especially from a local publication – about an area of exciting, “hot” science, pay attention to which studies and researchers they reference or quote. These investigators are often leading voices in the field. 

Use PubMed to find the latest work in a field or by a specific investigator. Explore the "trending articles" section to see which articles have had recent activity – a sign of a field gaining broad interest. If you find investigators doing work that is particularly interesting to you, use the "saved searches" function to get updates about their work directly in your email inbox. 

Appreciate that emerging fields are often a result of novel collaboration across disparate disciplines such as distinct subfields in biology and medicine, biomedical engineering or computer science .

Application of a known technology to a new field can also yield exciting advancements. A recent example is cryo-EM-mediated determination of complex structures, such as ligand-bound receptors, which could not previously be accurately determined.

Look for labs that are working in an interdisciplinary manner to tackle an important question in medicine or biology, and you are likely to find stimulating research in an important emerging field. 

Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid presuming that only well-known fields with significant popularity and press attention are the only interesting domains of scientific research. The biggest discoveries often come from unpredictable places, and their genesis can be traced to less well-known fields.

Recent high-profile examples include prokaryotic genomics that spawned CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, and nucleoside modifications that advanced mRNA vaccines. This is characteristic of biomedical research and should lead you to explore various fields and meet with a variety of investigators to find the field, research and lab that most interest you. 

A few exceedingly popular fields – such as microbiome research, cancer immunotherapy , etc. – run the risk of becoming oversaturated, with many excellent investigators trying to solve similar problems. These fields can thus become quite competitive, with several associated challenges.

If you do join a competitive field, look for opportunities to do novel work that can separate your project from the rest of the crowd. A good strategy when selecting a laboratory is to assess which researchers are pushing the boundaries in these fields and are looking to incorporate interdisciplinary approaches, as they are more likely to be working in their own lane, away from other investigators. Use the same approach when selecting a project within your lab.

Medical School Application Mistakes

Tags: medical school , research , graduate schools , education , students

About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Research explores ways to mitigate the environmental toxicity of ubiquitous silver nanoparticles

by Oregon State University

Silver has long been used to thwart the spread of illness and in recent years silver nanoparticles have been incorporated into products ranging from sanitizers, odor-resistant clothes and washing machines to makeup, food packaging and sports equipment.

Nanoparticles are tiny pieces of material ranging in size from one- to 100-billionths of a meter. In addition to their antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles are industrially important as catalysts and in electronics applications.

Despite their ubiquity, little is known about their environmental toxicity or how it might be mitigated.

Researchers at Oregon State University have taken a key step toward closing the knowledge gap with a study that indicates the particles' shape and surface chemistry play key roles in how they affect aquatic ecosystems.

The findings, published in Nanomaterials , are important because they suggest silver nanoparticles can be produced in formats that preserve their beneficial properties while limiting environmentally negative ones.

Scientists led by Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz and Stacey L. Harper assessed how spherical and triangular-shaped silver nanoparticles with five different surface chemistries affected their uptake and toxicity in a laboratory microcosm of bacteria, algae, Daphnia and embryonic zebrafish.

Daphnia are tiny crustaceans, and zebrafish are a small freshwater species that go from a cell to a swimming fish in about five days.

Zebrafish are particularly useful for studying the development and genetics of vertebrates, including the effects of environmental contaminants and pharmaceuticals on early embryonic development . They share a remarkable similarity to humans at the molecular, genetic and cellular levels; embryonic zebrafish are of special interest because in addition to developing quickly, they are transparent and can be easily maintained in small amounts of water.

The authors note that hundreds of tons of silver nanoparticles are produced every year for commercial uses, meaning it's inevitable some will end up in aquatic environments.

"Silver nanoparticles are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and not much is known about their toxicity except for the free silver ions that can result from surface oxidation of the nanoparticles," said Mackiewicz, assistant professor of chemistry. "Free silver ions are known to be toxic and in this paper we found a way to study the toxicity of silver nanoparticles and how they impact the environment irrespective of poisonous silver ions."

Mackiewicz, Harper and collaborators in the OSU colleges of Science, Engineering and Agricultural Sciences found silver nanoparticles negatively affect some species but not others.

"For example, there is a decrease in bacterial and Daphnia growth, and the size and shape of the particles can contribute to that, but the nanoparticles didn't affect zebrafish," she said. "And nanoparticles coated in lipids, organic compounds found in many natural oils and waxes, did not release significant amounts of silver ions—but they exhibited the greatest toxicity to Daphnia magna, the most sensitive species in the microcosm."

Overall, Mackiewicz said, the study showed that silver nanoparticles' shape and surface chemistry can be manipulated to achieve specific objectives necessary for better understanding and mitigating the risks associated with silver nanoparticles. A related study awaiting publication, she added, shows that small, spherical nanoparticles are more toxic than triangles or cubes.

Nanoparticles are the latest format, Mackiewicz notes, for an element that throughout history has been used to restrict the spread of human disease via incorporation into items used in everyday life. Its earliest recorded use for therapeutic purposes dates back 3,500 years.

During the Middle Ages, wealthy families used so many silver vessels, plates and other products that they developed bluish skin discolorations known as argyria, a condition believed to have led to the term "blue blood" as a description for members of the aristocracy.

Collaborating with Mackiewicz and Harper on the study were OSU researchers Bryan Harper and Arek Engstrom.

Provided by Oregon State University

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• Factsheets & Posters
• Clinician Brief
• Infection Control Guidance
• Lab Testing
• Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Basics

• MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics.
• Although anyone can get MRSA, some groups have a higher risk.
• If left untreated, MRSA infections can cause sepsis or death.

Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a very common germ. About one out of every three people have the germ on their skin or in their nose. This germ does not cause problems for most people.

MRSA is a type of staph that can be resistant to several antibiotics. Anyone can get a MRSA infection or carry MRSA. The risk increases for people with hospitalizations or nursing home stays, skin-to-skin contact with others (such as in contact sports), and exposure to crowded and unhygienic places.

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of an S. aureus infection, including MRSA, depend on the part of the body that is infected. Broken skin, such as when there are scrapes or cuts, is often the site of a MRSA infection. Most S. aureus skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that might be:

• Warm to the touch.
• Full of pus or other drainage.
• Accompanied by a fever.

You cannot tell by looking at the skin if it's a MRSA infection. People sometimes confuse some MRSA skin infections with a spider bite. However, unless you actually see the spider, the irritation is likely not a spider bite.

If you or someone in your family experiences the signs and symptoms of MRSA infection: ‎

Contact your healthcare provider, especially if the symptoms include a fever or do not improve within 48 hours. Do not pick at or pop the bump or sore. Cover the area with clean, dry bandages until you can see a healthcare provider. Clean your hands often.

Complications

MRSA infections can cause serious problems in and outside of healthcare settings, including:

• Pneumonia (lung infections).
• Bloodstream infections.
• Surgical site infections.
• Sepsis , the body's extreme response to an infection (if left untreated).
• Death (if left untreated).

Who is at risk

Although anyone can get MRSA, some groups have a higher risk:

• Daycare and school students.
• Military personnel in barracks.
• People who receive inpatient medical care.
• People who have surgery or medical devices inserted in their body.
• People who inject drugs .

How it spreads

MRSA spreads in the community through contact with infected people, wounds, or things that have touched infected skin and are carrying the bacteria.

Some people who carry MRSA can go on to get a MRSA infection.

You can reduce your risk of MRSA infections and help prevent their spread.

A healthcare provider must send a clinical specimen to a laboratory to determine if MRSA is the cause of an infection.

Treatment and recovery

Healthcare providers often prescribe antibiotics to treat MRSA infections. Some types of S. aureus infections need surgery to drain infected areas. Your healthcare provider will determine which treatments are best for you. While MRSA can be resistant to several antibiotics, meaning these drugs cannot cure the infections, there are antibiotics available to treat MRSA infections.

What CDC is doing

• Data is also available on the AR & Patient Safety Portal .
• Working closely with health departments , other federal agencies, healthcare providers and patients to prevent infections caused by MRSA and slow the spread of resistant germs .
• MRSA Baseline Prevention Practices Assessment Tool for States Establishing HAI Prevention Collaborative
• Laboratory resources
• Reference Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) Data

MRSA is a germ that is resistant to some antibiotics. It can spread in hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and in the community.

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