The management of COVID19 positives at the Olympic Games could be improved Note: The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of BJSM. We are one week into the Olympics and the Olympic COVID-19 pandemic worsening among Olympians and their entourage, predicted by many, […]
Category: General
How talent selection harms future athletes – biological maturity and the drawbacks of early specialisation
Swiss Junior Doctors and Undergraduate Perspective on Sport and Exercise Medicine Blog Series A specialized athlete’s body constitution is often distinctive to their sport. Thus, one would probably never mistake a distance runner for a weightlifter, nor a figure skater for a swimmer. Body composition changes through sport-specific training to match the needs of the […]
Group Telerehabilitation in the COVID-19 Era: a new Approach
Person-centred experience for telerehabilitation following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction – part of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine’s blog series The rationale for this project is to co-design (1) alternative ways of engaging with patients using telehealth frameworks (2) and provide person-centred rehabilitation post-surgical reconstruction for anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL-R). […]
Is it time to mandate mouthguards use in all contact sports?
Injury prevention vs Performance – Do mouthguards prevent injury or are they just an unnecessary burden to aerobic performance? Since the design of the first mouthguards in the late 1890’s, they have been commonly used as a way to prevent oro-facial injuries and protect athletes during contact sports. Although widely available, there are large variations […]
What is the role of eccentric exercise in resistance training?
Eccentric muscle contractions happen when the muscle lengthens under tension. By contrast, concentric contractions happen when the muscle shortens under tension. Eccentric contractions perform negative work through ‘braking’ and elastic storage of energy 1. During walking, active muscles shorten via their contractile proteins, myosin and actin, but ‘just as often, resist lengthening’ 2. Eccentric work […]
Schools need more than just a policy, they need support too
Schools can be supported to implement compulsory physical activity policies. Compulsory school physical activity policies exist in China, Denmark, England and several Australian, United States and Canadian jurisdictions. ‘Compulsory’ doesn’t mean policies are adhered to, often they are not. For example, less than half of Canadian, and only 1 in 4 Australian primary schools, adhere […]
Prioritising athletes for COVID-19 vaccinations?
Prioritising COVID-19 vaccines to enable elite athletes to travel is an issue within New Zealand. Getting elite athletes access to the vaccine quickly has become increasingly important as events such as the Olympics loom. The NZ government has recently released a roll-out plan with a ‘national significance’ category which may include Olympians and other. While […]
Proposing a #DREAM approach to musculoskeletal medicine
A proposed holistic and interdisciplinary model of care When it comes to musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, most clinicians will be familiar with the acronyms ‘RICE, POLICE and even PEACE & LOVE(1)’, but how does knowing that help in the grander rehabilitation process? Whilst they may provide a structure for the acute management of MSK injuries, they […]
Hormone Intelligence for Female Dancers, Athletes and Exercisers
Applying artificial intelligence techniques to modelling female hormones enables dancers and athletes to access hormone intelligence at her fingertips Female hormone networks form the most complex aspect of the endocrine system. The menstrual cycle depends upon a delicate web of feedback mechanisms that trigger significant changes in hormone levels. This intricate physiological process generally operates […]
Exertional Rhabdomyolysis; Pushing Muscle to the Limit
What can athletes do to prevent themselves being exposed to muscle breakdown after exercise? Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a condition that can impact athletes, patients and military personnel alike, causing an excessive breakdown of muscle after exercise. In some patients, this can be due to intense exercise well above the normal levels of fatigue, while […]