Key words: Epidemiology, Health, Physical activity Why is this study important? Physical activity is known to help prevent early death.1 Current guidelines recommend 150-300 weekly minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75-150 weekly minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both, to achieve health benefits.2 However, most research on physical activity that supported the […]
Category: General
Micro-fragmented adipose tissue vs. saline: Can ‘stem cell’ injections help knee osteoarthritis?
Key words: Stem cells, knee osteoarthritis, ortho-biologics Why is this study important? Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a massive clinical challenge. For many, it means daily pain, reduced mobility, and eventually, joint replacement. As clinicians, we are always looking for effective, low-risk treatments that delay or reduce the need for surgery. In recent years, “stem cell” […]
Barriers to mental health help-seeking among Olympic and Paralympic coaches
This blog summarises a recently published study in BJSM investigating barriers to mental health help-seeking among Olympic and Paralympic coaches. Why is this study important? Olympic and Paralympic coaches face a range of stressors that may compromise their mental health and wellbeing. These demands may include the pressure of having to qualify for a Games, […]
A Guide to Sports Medicine Electives (A BJSM Blog Series)
Explore firsthand experiences, practical insights, and expert tips from those who have already taken their Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) electives around the world. Key words: Sports and exercise medicine, Electives, Undergraduate education Introduction Imagine trading your regular lecture hall for an international sports clinic, or shadowing top doctors at a Premier League academy. Whether you’re […]
Simpler means safer when responding to an emergency: The new FIFA Medical Set-Piece toolkit and Pre-Match Emergency Action Plan
This blog examines FIFA’s new approach to medical emergencies in football – the “Medical Set Piece.” Just like rehearsed free kicks, FIFA have created a standardised emergency protocol where medical teams practice coordinated responses until they become automatic. Here, we explore the Pre-match Emergency Action Plan (PEAP), which assigns colour-coded roles to team members, ensuring […]
Optimising Performance Through Sleep: An Evidence-Based Review
Introduction Sleep is an important part of an athlete’s health and overall functional performance. Recently, this emphasis has grown, with some teams hiring sleep coaches to optimise this as best as possible. This has meant that more emphasis is being put on the quality and quantity of sleep for athletes and how it can affect […]
Understanding the female athletes’ heart
Key words: exercise, sex differences, heart Why is this study important? This blog is a summary of a recently published BJSM study (1). The heart of the athlete often demonstrates physical changes as a result of regular endurance training such as bigger chamber or ‘ventricular’ size[2, 3] . However, this phenomenon has predominantly been described […]
Concussion and depressive symptoms in high school students: impact of physical activity and substance use
Key words: Brain Injury, Physical Activity, Adolescence An estimated 1.1 to 1.9 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur each year in children and adolescents in the United States (1). Diagnosis, prognosis, and rehabilitation for concussion have progressed substantially over the past two decades (2). Despite this, patients, families, and clinicians are often left with one […]
Genetic liability to sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease
Key words: public health, physical activity promotion, genetic epidemiology Why is this study important? Paleoanthropologists have previously argued that physical activity has long been a survival need in human history, which is why humans would not have evolved to move voluntarily (1). Moreover, sedentary behaviour may be a trait selected by evolution to conserve viable […]
Bringing reproductive, pelvic, and breast health to light: insights from the Health of Elite Retired Australian female athletes survey (HER-Aus)
Why is this study important? Women have been competing in elite sport for centuries. Although more women and girls are competing than ever before – with gender parity finally achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympics – research has not kept pace. Over the last decade, women made up only about 10% of all participants in […]