Keywords: Body Mass Index, Lung, Physical fitness. Introduction The role of the respiratory system is to move air in and out of the lungs to facilitate the process of gas exchange. Impairment of this system increases the likelihood of lung disease, a leading cause of death worldwide (1). Major risk factors of respiratory impairment include long-term […]
Category: General
The Ramadan fasting athlete; competing in good health and for optimum performance.
A pre-participation evaluation medical questionnaire to support the fasting athlete. Introduction The month of Ramadan presents a unique challenge for Muslim athletes, with regards to planning for competition and training, whilst fasting. During this month, many Muslim athletes abstain from consuming food and fluid during day light hours (from dawn to sunset), increasing their focus […]
Excess is a fatal thing: Nothing succeeds like moderation for optimal health
Author: Dr Nicky Keay, Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Division of Medicine, UCL Oscar Wilde quipped that “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” However, when it comes to enjoying a healthy lifespan, nothing succeeds like moderation. Illustration from “Hormones, Health and Human Potential” Personalising Health through Lifestyle Hippocrates advocated that giving each individual just the right […]
Not all bone stress injuries are the same: Accounting for anatomical location should become a clinical standard
In this blog post we summarise the key points of our systematic review about low- and high-risk bone stress injuries (BSIs). Our study (recently published in BJSM) was a collaboration between the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Harvard Medical School, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg and Indiana University [1]. Why […]
Auto-regulation in blood flow restriction strength training: more than just a fancy phrase
This blog provides an overview of a recently published article about the application of blood flow restriction (BFR) and the differences between automatic and non-automatic regulating pressures in terms of safety and performance. Why is this study important? The application of blood flow restriction (BFR) in strength training has been expanding into both […]
An interactive, evidence-based, multilingual, and free-access platform for fitness testing and interpretation in children and adolescents
Contributions of the FitBack project to the fitness field in Europe and globally Keywords: fitness, monitoring, youth Physical fitness (hereinafter, fitness) testing and monitoring during growth is important from a health, educational and sport point of view. The European Commission funded the FitBack project with the goal of developing a web-based, open-access and multilingual platform […]
Consequences of injury are greater for Olympians than the general population
This blog provides an overview of two recent studies on the prevalence of and factors associated with osteoarthritis (OA) and pain in retired Olympians [1,2]. The study also compared OA and pain between Olympians and the general population. Why is this study important? Previous studies show retired athletes have higher rates of osteoarthritis compared with […]
Motivating athletes – Beyond yelling and screaming
Motivational Interviewing – A new way of fostering behaviour change. What is motivational interviewing? Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a communication style placing emphasis on compassion, acceptance, partnership, and evocation. Together these elements form the foundation or “spirit” of MI (1). It frames the conversation in a collaborative manner with the intention of enhancing an individual’s […]
Can technology help identify training patterns associated with running-related injuries?
Both competitive and recreational runners are increasingly using GPS watches and smartphone apps that collect large amounts of training data. Many online programs use these data to provide training guidance, which claims to improve running performance and prevent injuries. While increasing training volume has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for running-related injury in […]
Does ball heading affect more than the brain in footballers?
Keywords = ACL, concussion, neuromuscular control In the world of sports, soccer is unique because of the purposeful use of the unprotected head for controlling and advancing the ball. This skill places the player at risk of head injury. Head injury can be a result of contact of the head with another player’s head (or […]