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 […]
Category: General
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 […]
Physical Activity During Childhood Improves Mental Health
In this blog, we report novel findings from a recent study on how physical activity during certain periods can protect children from developing common psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and addiction (1). We also highlight that participation in organized sports seems to have a broad beneficial effect and then discuss explanations for this pattern, […]
The SWEREX study: Understanding Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rates in Higher-Level Athletes.
Key words: Anterior Cruciate Ligament; Epidemiology; Women in sport This blog is based on a recently published study in BJSM (1). Why is this study important? Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a major problem for athletes involved in pivoting sports at all levels(2-4). Understanding how often these injuries happen, who is most at risk, […]
Can Intravenous Iron Therapy Boost Exercise Performance and Reduce Fatigue in Active Women?
Key words: Iron Deficiency, Women’s Health, Exercise Performance Why is this study important? Iron deficiency without anemia (IDNA) is a common issue among recreationally active women of reproductive age, driven by factors such as menstrual blood loss and exercise-induced iron depletion (1). While oral iron supplements are often used to address this, they can cause […]
Is cardiorespiratory fitness related to health among children and youth? What we know and what is still missing.
Keywords: Cardiorespiratory fitness, health outcomes, youth, clinical This blog provides a summary of a recent study published in BJSM (1). What is cardiorespiratory fitness? Cardiorespiratory fitness, also called aerobic fitness, represents the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to work together to supply oxygen to muscles during prolonged physical activity. It is influenced […]
Water or land exercise – what is better for kids with long COVID?
Subtitle: Discover which type of exercise—water-based or land-based—better helps children with long COVID Key words: child; long COVID; SARS-CoV-2, exercise What is long COVID in children? Long COVID is when children continue to feel unwell weeks or even months after recovering from COVID-19. There is no single definition, but experts agree that it includes symptoms that […]