Sports & Medicine News

Power athletes and others looking for an edge to improve their performance should avoid taking vitamin D2, a new study suggests. Research conducted at Appalachian State University's Human Performance Lab at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis showed that taking vitamin D2 supplements decreased levels of vitamin D3 in the body and resulted in higher muscle damage after … [Read more...]

New running shoes to burn off Christmas excess are a popular purchase in the New Year, but the terms associated with supportive footwear and alternative styles of running can be confusing, a new study has found. In what they believe is a first of its kind study, University of Manchester psychologists conducted in-depth interviews with eight recreational runners to find out … [Read more...]

In the world of American football, there is a stigma that players need to increase their overall body size to make an impact on the field. But, new research from a Grand Valley State University movement science professor and one of his students suggests that being bigger doesn't mean being better -- or healthier. Jeffrey Potteiger, professor of exercise science, and Maggie … [Read more...]

For some runners, a marathon is not enough. Participation in so-called ultramarathons -- defined as any distance beyond the standard 26.2-mile marathon -- has grown exponentially in recent years. The number of runners who finished ultra-length races in North America increased from 15,500 in 1998 to 63,530 in 2012, according to UltraRunning Magazine. Despite its popularity, … [Read more...]

It happens more than 2.5 million times a year. That’s how often children are rushed to emergency rooms with sports injuries. Yes, youth football is getting more attention, but are all sports getting safer? It depends on who is talking. Taj Taylor wants to go pro. But a concussion almost sidelined his dream. “It was a really scary feeling, definitely very scary,” Taylor … [Read more...]

Elite endurance athletes who eat very few carbohydrates burned more than twice as much fat as high-carb athletes during maximum exertion and prolonged exercise in a new study -- the highest fat-burning rates under these conditions ever seen by researchers. The study, the first to profile elite athletes habitually eating very low-carbohydrate diets, involved 20 … [Read more...]

A new study finds the overall rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among high school athletes is significantly higher among females, who are especially likely to experience ACL tears while playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse. The study, "Sport-Specific Yearly Risk and Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in High School Athletes: A Systematic Review … [Read more...]

Using endurance training or strength and resistance training not only prepares an athlete for different types of sports, they can also change the way the brain and muscles communicate with each other. A University of Kansas study shows that the communication between the brain and quadriceps muscles of people who take part in endurance training, such as running long … [Read more...]

UK cage fighters are indulging in potentially dangerous behaviours in a bid to lose large amounts of weight in the shortest possible time before a fight, reveal doctors in a snapshot survey of preferred slimming tactics, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Mixed martial arts, often referred to as cage fighting, became popular with western audiences in … [Read more...]

While whey protein supplementation helps athletes build lean body mass, progress can be stifled by overlooking a key facet of training: muscle recovery. New research from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN) tests a whey protein supplement fortified with compounds designed to aid in muscle recovery following highly demanding resistance exercise. The Addition … [Read more...]

  Using endurance training or strength and resistance training not only prepares an athlete for different types of sports, they can also change the way the brain and muscles communicate with each other. A University of Kansas study shows that the communication between the brain and quadriceps muscles of people who take part in endurance training, such as running long … [Read more...]

    The heart condition is serious and life-threatening and thankfully rare. But when long QT syndrome is discovered in young athletes, they’re automatically benched. Now, Cleveland Clinic researchers believe they’ve found a way to get these kids back into the game, with some precautions. Tyler Lajko has a heart condition called long QT syndrome which, if … [Read more...]

Coaches and trainers strive to keep their players healthy so they can perform at their maximum potentials. Injury restrictions, or limits on athletes' physical activity due to illnesses or injuries, can keep athletes on the bench for a game or even an entire season. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found college football players are more likely to experience … [Read more...]

While emphasis is often placed on keeping athletes and outdoor enthusiasts properly hydrated, too much water can be just as dangerous. Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), also known as water intoxication, results in an extreme, and potentially fatal, sodium imbalance. In the latest issue of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, investigators detail the case of a hiker … [Read more...]

As cases of Little League Shoulder (LLS) occur more frequently, the need for additional information about the causes and outcomes of the condition has become clear. Researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting today shared new data identifying associated risk factors, common treatment options and return to play. "Our … [Read more...]

College athletes experiencing in-season shoulder instability regularly return to play within one week of injury, but developed recurrent instability in 63% of cases, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting. This latest information may help guide team physicians in providing the most optimal treatment … [Read more...]

Shoulder instability is a common injury in football players but the rate of return to play has not been regularly determined following surgery. A new study, discussed at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting today details that return rates for NFL players is approximately 90 percent no matter what the stabilization procedure (open vs. … [Read more...]

New research suggests that professional baseball pitchers with poor core stability are more likely to miss 30 or more days in a single season because of injury than are pitchers who have good control of muscles in their lower back and pelvis. In the study, 347 pitchers were assessed for lumbopelvic control during spring training. Pitchers with more tilt in their pelvis as … [Read more...]

Young baseball pitchers who throw more than 100 pitches per week are at risk for a newly identified overuse injury that can impede normal shoulder development and lead to additional problems, including rotator cuff tears, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The injury, termed acromial apophysiolysis by the researchers, is characterized by … [Read more...]

The most in-depth survey of its kind found that arm pain is common among supposedly healthy young baseball players and nearly half have been encouraged to keep playing despite arm pain. The findings suggest that more detailed and individualized screening is needed to prevent overuse injury in young ballplayers. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) … [Read more...]

A majority of Americans are overweight or obese, a factor in the rapid rise in common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and more. According to a paper published collaboratively in this month's issues of the official journals of both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, energy balance is a … [Read more...]

More than 2.6 million Americans are treated for sports-related injuries every year. Many of these injuries lead to surgeries.  Could a stem cell injection into the injury be the solution? World Series MVP Pat Borders has played ball most of his life.  Now that he's in charge of a team, he doesn't want to take a knee anytime soon. Borders told Ivanhoe, “I like to run. I … [Read more...]

A new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that 53 percent of the parents/caregivers of youth baseball pitchers are unaware of safe pitching practices designed to prevent overuse injuries--common tears or damage, most often to the elbow (ulnar collateral ligament) or shoulder--which can cause pain, lost … [Read more...]

An individual's meniscus (cushion in the knee) is one of the most important ligaments in the leg providing stability, load bearing and preservation of the knee joint. It is also one of the most easily injured areas and difficult to fully heal. Researchers presenting their study at today's Specialty Day meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) … [Read more...]

Pitching speed, player's height, and pitching for multiple teams may correlate with a history of shoulder and elbow injuries, according to new research released today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day. "Our findings indicate that a 10 inch increase in height is associated with a 20% increase in likelihood of a history of injury, … [Read more...]

Outcomes following the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears in older athletes appears to be successful a majority of the time, according to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. "Seventy-seven percent of our patients who had an arthroscopic repair of a full thickness rotator cuff tear, … [Read more...]

Patients treated surgically for a hamstring rupture demonstrated better results than those treated only with therapy, according to a study presented today at the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. "Overall, patients in this study treated with surgery had a trend towards better lower extremity function as well as a higher … [Read more...]

Surgeries related to overuse elbow injuries, i.e. Tommy John Surgery, are more common among youth athletes than previously believed, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. "Our results showed that 15-19 year-olds accounted for 56.7 percent of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament … [Read more...]

Participation in sports by women and girls has increased from 310,000 individuals in 1971 to 3.37 million in 2010. At the same time, sports-related injuries among female athletes have skyrocketed. According to a new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), women with symptoms known as the "female athlete triad" are at greater risk of bone … [Read more...]