By Daniel Friedman @ddfriedman
Have you discovered the power of BJSM podcasts yet? What better way to get inspired and stay informed about the latest in the world of sport and exercise medicine? And every episode is ad-free, for free! Sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask us…
As 2018 comes to an end, we here at BJSM would like to thank all of our scintillating podcast guests for captivating and educating listeners over the past 12 months. Our guests are now drawing >7000 listens per week to the >200 podcasts on the BJSM channel. We released 45 podcasts in 2018 (almost every Friday) and can boast nearly half a million listens in the past year alone! And of course, another very big thank you goes out to our dedicated and ever reliable sound engineer and associate editor James Walsh (@SportsOsteopath) who made it all possible.
In July 2018, we celebrated many of our past guests and most popular episodes to date, and watched (listened?) on as they competed head-to-head in the BJSM Podcast World Cup. We asked YOU, the listener, to engage and share your favourite BJSM podcasts via social media and vote on the winner. With all the up and coming talent on the podcast in 2018, the reigning champ might have some trouble defending the title in four years’ time.
Here are some of our favourite podcasts from the year that was.
Is your patient ready to run? Blaise Williams shares his 5 minute clinic assessment to help you #319
“Running is nothing but a series of single-leg landings. If we can have a functional test that mimics landing when running, a single leg squat is a very good way of doing that”
In the first episode of a miniseries about readiness to run, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dr Blaise Williams (@Rundocblaise) discusses objective measures that can be used to determine whether a patient is ready to return to running. Dr Williams discusses how to approach the patient who presents with an overuse injury and shares the five tests that make up his ‘running readiness scale’. He outlines his rehabilitation philosophy and provides an example of a progressive return to running protocol that can be adapted for any patient.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you also listen to Dr Williams’ clinical secrets to keep your older patients running.
Sport 1st, disability 2nd. Paralympian Cheri Blauwet discusses SEM in elite disability sport #322
“At the end of the day, athletes are athletes, and they want to be treated like athletes”
A seven-time Paralympic medallist in the sport of wheelchair racing and two-time Boston marathon winner, Dr Cheri Blauwet (@CheriBlauwetMD) shares the perspective of the para athlete and highlights some of the ‘must know’ practice pearls for disability sports. Dr Blauwet outlines common illnesses and musculoskeletal injuries seen in elite para athletes, and explains some of the sport-specific considerations for athletes with disabilities.
If you enjoyed this episode, we’re sure you will also like this 2018 BJSM editorial on concussion in para sport.
What limits sporting performance? Is it in the muscles or does the mind matter? Dr Alex Hutchinson #333
“Can you push too hard? Can you dig so deep that you will do damage to yourself?”
A National Magazine Award-winning science journalist whose work appears in Outside, The Globe and Mail, The New York Times and The New Yorker, Dr Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience) discusses his new book Endure and the role of the brain in the limits of human endurance and performance. By exploring the difference between perceived limits and actual limits, Alex shares his top strategies to optimise performance and considers the role of big data in a changing athletic landscape.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you also listen to Dr Chris Napier and Paul Blazey debate running shoe prescription.
Dr Alison Grimaldi on managing gluteal tendinopathy. Episode #343
“We often see post-menopausal patients take up walking to get their weight down…and then they develop this lateral hip pain”
With over 25 years of clinical experience and particular expertise in the management of hip, groin and lumbo-pelvic pain and dysfunction, superstar physiotherapist Dr Alison Grimaldi returns to the BJSM podcast stage to explain the results from her LEAP trial that compared education plus exercise versus corticosteroid injection use versus a wait and see approach on global outcome and pain from gluteal tendinopathy. In this very practical conversation, Alison outlines specific exercises for gluteal tendinopathy and shares her top tips for helping patients manage gluteal tendinopathy pain.
For another extremely practical podcast from Dr Alison Grimaldi, download her 2014 classic on treating lateral hip pain.
The truth behind sports drinks with Dr Deborah Cohen Episode #345
“From the outside it seemed really scientific and technical. One internal message I’d see from scientists working for Gatorade is that SCIENCE SELLS”
Award winning television, print and radio reporter Dr. Deborah Cohen (@deb_cohen) revisits her legendary 2012 BMJ investigative piece that reveals the shocking truth behind sports drinks. Deborah discusses the history of sports drinks, the science of hydration and the sports drink industries’ sinister tactics to push their products. You may want to think twice before reaching for that next bottle of Gatorade/Powerade/Lucozade/sugar water after listening to this one!
If you want to learn more about the history of hydration science, check out Prof Tim Noake’s 2006 BJSM paper on exercise associated hyponatraemia and overdrinking.
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Before we let you go, let us know what you would like to hear about in 2019! Tweet or email your suggestions to @BJSM_BMJ/ bjsmblog@gmail.com
You can stream or download all of our past podcasts on the free BJSM App (available on iOS or Android) and subscribe to the BJSM podcast channel wherever you get your podcasts.
As always,we hope you have a physically active day!
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Daniel Friedman @ddfriedman is a final year medical student at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently based in Vancouver, working for the BJSM as an associate editor, and has previous experience working for the WHO, focusing on the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of active healthy lifestyles. Daniel’s interests span physical activity and public health, injury prevention, and nutrition. Email: ddfriedman@gmail.com.