Sports Medicine News

January 24, 2025

Top Headlines

Differences in Strength by Position Among Football Players

Jan. 13, 2025 — It's long been known that different positions on the football field fit different body types. A study led by the University of Kansas has gone beyond knowing that linemen are bigger with more body mass than receivers and tested a team of college ...

Study Shows Head Trauma May Activate Latent Viruses, Leading to Neurodegeneration

Jan. 7, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered mechanisms that may link head injuries and concussions to the emergence of neurodegenerative disease, pointing to latent viruses lurking in most of our brains that may be ...

For Optimal Marathon Performance, Check Training Plan, Gear, Nutrition, Weather -- And Air Quality?

Dec. 18, 2024 — When preparing for a marathon, runners don't usually think much about air quality. But maybe they should, according to findings from a new study. When the research team assessed the association ...

Getting Rehab Earlier Improves Concussion Outcomes

Dec. 19, 2024 — People who suffer from continued symptoms of concussion should seek a referral to physical therapy as soon as possible, new research ...

Latest Headlines

updated 3:22pm EST

World Cup Soccer Is Getting Faster for Men and Women Alike

Dec. 17, 2024 — If the experience of watching a FIFA World Cup soccer final is intense, spare a thought for the players, who are competing at an ever increasing intensity, according to a new ...

Largest Study of CTE in Male Ice Hockey Players Finds Odds Increased 34% With Each Year Played

Dec. 4, 2024 — A large study, of 77 deceased male ice hockey players, has found that the odds of having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) increased by 34% each ...

Soccer Heading Damages Brain Regions Affected in CTE, Study Finds

Nov. 27, 2024 — Soccer heading may cause more damage to the brain than previously thought, according to a new ...

Cardiologists Say Benefits of Sport and Recreation Physical Activities Outweigh Risks, Even for Individuals With Heart Disease

Nov. 18, 2024 — While exercise is generally beneficial for a person's overall health, physical activities may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular disease ...

Professional Ice Hockey: Depressive Symptoms and Burnout Linked to More Concussions

Oct. 25, 2024 — Elite ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms, according to a new ...

Dehydration Linked to Muscle Cramps in IRONMAN Triathletes

Oct. 23, 2024 — Contrary to previous research, a study of three decades of the IRONMAN's top competition found a connection between dehydration and exercise-induced muscle cramps. Based on medical data of more than ...

'Brain Endurance Training' Promotes Healthy Aging

Oct. 11, 2024 — A new study finds that brain endurance training (BET) can improve attention and executive function (cognition), as well as physical endurance and resistance exercise ...

First Academic Study on Slap Fighting Highlights Risks to Participants' Neurological Health

Sep. 18, 2024 — The first academic study to provide quantitative assessment of the possible dangers of competitive slap fighting offers a starting point for ...

Sep. 17, 2024 — Sport-related stress may contribute to some NCAA Division One swimmers and runners failing to consume enough calories to fuel their ...

Backward Hopping May Be Better Indication of Recovery from ACL Reconstruction

Sep. 16, 2024 — People may not hop backward often, but a new study shows that having people hop backward on one leg can be a better way of measuring strength and ...

Racial Disparities in Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death Among Athletes

Dec. 2, 2024 — A recent major review of data shows that Black athletes are approximately five times more likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) compared to White athletes, ...

Concussions Slow Brain Activity of High School Football Players

Nov. 27, 2024 — A new study of high school football players found that concussions affect an often-overlooked but important brain ...

Facemask Impacts Are Leading Source of Higher Severity Impacts in Professional American Football

Sep. 11, 2024 — Nearly one third of concussions in professional American football are due to impacts from the facemask, a part of the helmet that has remained mostly unchanged in the last decade. In a new study, ...

Study Shows That 'Super Spikes' Can Increase Track Running Speed by 2%

Sep. 4, 2024 — Research shows that super spikes, scientifically described as advanced footwear technology (AFT) spikes, can give runners about a 2% edge in middle-distance track races, like the 800- and ...

Sports Concussions in Non-Athletes Not Linked to Long-Term Cognitive Effects

Sep. 4, 2024 — Sports-related concussions (SRC) may not be associated with long-term cognitive risks for non-professional athletes, a new study suggests. In fact, study participants who had experienced an SRC had ...

Regional Variations in Concussion Diagnoses

Aug. 29, 2024 — Researchers found significant geographic variations in concussion diagnoses in United States emergency departments -- with the highest rates in the South and lower rates in the Midwest and ...

Defining Chronic Pain for High-Performance Athletes With Disabilities

Aug. 27, 2024 — The extensive training and the sacrifices athletes make to compete at the Olympic games take center stage. For Paralympians and high-performance athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCI), assessing ...

Metal Baseball Bats Still Help Little Leaguers Hit a Little Better

Aug. 27, 2024 — While meant to simulate wood bats, regulation USA Baseball metal bats are more forgiving than wood for young players who might not connect with the ball on a bat's optimal 'sweet ...

New Research Identifies Early Sensorimotor Markers for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Aug. 14, 2024 — A study has uncovered significant findings related to the early sensorimotor features and cognitive abilities of toddlers who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ...

Recurrent Wheezing in Children Linked to 'Silent' Viral Infections

Aug. 8, 2024 — Nearly a quarter of children with recurrent wheezing have 'silent' lung infections that would be better treated with antiviral medications than commonly prescribed steroids that can carry ...

Research Suggests Controversial Super Spikes Do Make Runners Faster

July 30, 2024 — Since athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics smashed multiple records in track and field, running enthusiasts and exercise physiologists have speculated on what role new-generation high-tech running ...

At What Age Do Olympic Athletes Peak?

July 24, 2024 — There's a lot that goes into an Olympic athlete's quest for gold -- years of training and rigor -- but also, an athlete's age. A team used statistics to figure out when an Olympic ...

Wearable Sensors Help Athletes Achieve Greater Performance

July 23, 2024 — Researchers have developed a low-cost, flexible, and customizable sensor for badminton players that overcomes current monitoring constraints. The team used triboelectric sensors to construct their ...

Study Reveals Link Between Playing Contact Sports and Parkinsonism in Individuals With Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

July 15, 2024 — The largest study of CTE to date has found a new link between playing contact sports, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and the development of a movement disorder known as ...

Widespread Practice Among Athletes Harms Both Performance and Health

July 15, 2024 — Drastically cutting back on caloric intake to lose weight ahead of competition is commonplace among athletes. However, this type of 'dieting' doesn't just diminish performances, it can ...

Too Much Treadmill? This Could Help Your Shin Splints

July 2, 2024 — Good news for all the treadmill runners who suffer from stubborn shin splints: A little outdoor gait training may help, new research ...

Just 4% of Teen Academy Prospects Play Elite Soccer (Football)

June 27, 2024 — Just four per cent of talented teen academy prospects make it to the top tier of professional football, a new study has shown. A sample of nearly 200 players, aged between 13-18, also revealed only ...

Researchers Find Elementary Age Children Experience More Concussions During Activities Unrelated to Sports

June 27, 2024 — Researchers found that young children between the ages of 5 and 12 were more likely to experience a concussion from recreation and other non-sport activities, yet those injuries were not seen by ...

Do People Who Exercise More Have a Lower Risk of ALS?

June 26, 2024 — Moderate levels of physical activity and fitness may be linked to a reduced risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) later in life, according to a new study. The study only found an association ...

Changing the Game for Sports Emergency Action Plans

June 26, 2024 — A national position statement on emergency action plan development and implementation in sports from an athletic training researcher sets in motion new priorities for responding to catastrophic ...