Author: Georgios Kakavas PT OMT PhD Introduction Tendinopathy remains one of the most persistent and challenging conditions in sports medicine. Traditional rehabilitation often emphasizes tendon loading and strength training but may overlook central nervous system adaptations that affect movement control, pain perception, and long-term outcomes. A new evidence-based framework, called neuroplastic periodization, proposes a holistic, […]
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Why are we still failing to prevent brain injuries in children’s sport?
Key words: Concussion; Brain Injuries; Youth Sport Greek physician Hippocrates is widely attributed to saying, “The greatest medicine of all is to teach people how not to need it”. The 16th-century Swiss physician, Paracelsus, proclaimed that “Prevention is the daughter of wisdom”. In 1735, Benjamin Franklin wrote that “An ounce of prevention is worth a […]
The potential outcomes of interpersonal violence for women’s artistic gymnasts
Why is this study important? Following the 2020 Netflix documentary “Athlete A,” hundreds of former elite gymnasts have come forward with accounts of psychological and physical violence, sexual harassment/abuse, and organizational neglect. While research has identified these experiences as abusive, we have lacked a comprehensive understanding of their potential long-term consequences. This study fills this […]
Digital Integrity in Healthcare: From a Teachable Moment to a Teachable Roadmap
For healthcare professionals, digital safety is now as vital as patient confidentiality. Recently, a verified professional account on a major social media platform, one I had built since 2011 to share evidence-based exercise medicine and advocate for physical activity, was hijacked. Overnight, my brand was impersonated, and my access was revoked. Fourteen years of professional […]
Impaired neuromusculoskeletal response to training stimuli associated with low energy availability: A systematic review
Keywords: Relative energy deficiency in sport, muscle, strength Why is this study important? Low energy availability, or an imbalance between nutritional intake and physical activity, is a common health concern among male and female athletes. Low energy availability is known to negatively affect muscle strength, athletic performance, and overall neuromusculoskeletal health. Recent studies have begun […]
How Should Healthcare Professionals Talk to Pregnant Women About Physical Activity?
Authors: Chloë Williamson, Graham Baker, Marlize De Vivo, Hayley Mills, Linda Bauld, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Anna Boath, and Paul Kelly. A new scoping review aimed to understand what is known about how healthcare professionals communicate about physical activity during pregnancy in the UK. Despite well-established guidelines and compelling evidence for physical activity benefits during pregnancy, the […]
FitSkills: a community-based exercise program that improves participation for young people with disability
Why is this study important? Participating in physical activity has health benefits for young people with disability, but many participate in less physical activity than their peers without disability (Carlon et al 2013). Participation is ‘involvement in a life situation’ and has two components: attendance (being there) and involvement (the experience of participation). Essentially, participation […]
The MSK Playbook: Spinal insufficiency fractures
Introduction Spinal insufficiency fractures are a type of fragility fracture that occurs due to low-energy trauma on structurally weakened or poor-quality bone which would not ordinarily result in fracturing (1). This is most commonly due to osteoporosis affecting patients over the age of 50 or younger patients with risk factors (2). Osteoporosis is a global […]
Mobile App Review for The Canned-Beverage Sorting Task: An Online Assessment Tool for Athletes’ Accuracy in Avoiding Unintentional Doping
Name of the Application: Canned-Beverage Sorting Task (accessible here: http://www.derwinchan.com/Canned-Beverage-Sorting-Task-mobile-devi) Category of the mobile application: Sport Platform: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS. Cost: Free About the App Unintentional doping happens when athletes inadvertently violate the anti-doping code of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Accidentally consuming supplements or energy products that contain (or contaminated with) banned substances is […]
Can the Menstrual Cycle Phase Impact Sports Performance?
Author: Ellen Zaradić Keywords: female athlete, menstrual cycle, performance Introduction The menstrual cycle (MC) is a central feature of female physiology. Across the MC, concentrations of sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone fluctuate, influencing physiological systems, including cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and neuromuscular parameters. Subsequently, it has been hypothesised that the MC phase could affect sports […]