Differences in Injury Profiles Between Female and Male Athletes Across the Participant Classification Framework: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
ConclusionsFemale sex was a key determinant of sports-related injuries beyond ACL injury including foot/ankle injury, bone stress injury and sports-related concussion. Male sex was a key determinant of hip/groin, hamstring injury and upper limb injury.Trial RegistryPROSPERO registration number: CRD42017058806 (last updated on 7th June 2023). (Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - March 27, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Exercise-Regulated Mitochondrial and Nuclear Signalling Networks in Skeletal Muscle
AbstractExercise perturbs energy homeostasis in skeletal muscle and engages integrated cellular signalling networks to help meet the contraction-induced increases in skeletal muscle energy and oxygen demand. Investigating exercise-associated perturbations in skeletal muscle signalling networks has uncovered novel mechanisms by which exercise stimulates skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and promotes whole-body health and fitness. While acute exercise regulates a complex network of protein post-translational modifications (e.g. phosphorylation) in skeletal muscle, previous investigations of exercise signalling in huma...
Source: Sports Medicine - March 25, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview
AbstractMany individuals do not participate in resistance exercise, with perceived lack of time being a key barrier. Minimal dose strategies, which generally reduce weekly exercise volumes to less than recommended guidelines, might improve muscle strength with minimal time investment. However, minimal dose strategies and their effects on muscle strength are still unclear. Here our aims are to define and characterize minimal dose resistance exercise strategies and summarize their effects on muscle strength in individuals who are not currently engaged in resistance exercise. The minimal dose  strategies overviewed were: “...
Source: Sports Medicine - March 20, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Athletic Injury Research: Frameworks, Models and the Need for Causal Knowledge
AbstractWithin applied sports science and medicine research, many challenges hinder the establishment and detailed understanding of athletic injury causality as well as the development and implementation of appropriate athletic injury prevention strategies. Applied research efforts are faced with a lack of variable control, while the capacity to compensate for this lack of control through the application of randomised controlled trials is often confronted by a number of obstacles relating to ethical or practical constraints. Such difficulties have led to a large reliance upon observational research to guide applied practic...
Source: Sports Medicine - March 20, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

When to Pull the Trigger: Conceptual Considerations for Approximating Head Acceleration Events Using Instrumented Mouthguards
This article explores the technical limitations of iMGs that constrain the approximation of HAEs and discusses important conceptual considerations for stakeholders interpreting iMG data. The approximation of HAEs by sensor acceleration events is constrained by false positives and false negatives. False positives occur when a sensor acceleration event is recorded despite no (in vivo) HAE occurring, while false negatives occur when a sensor acceleration event is not recorded after an (in vivo) HAE has occurred. Various mechanisms contribute to false positives and false negatives. Video verification and post-processing algori...
Source: Sports Medicine - March 9, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

What We Do Not Know About Stretching in Healthy Athletes: A Scoping Review with Evidence Gap Map from 300 Trials
ConclusionsThere is room for improvement, with many areas of research on stretching being underexplored and others currently too heterogeneous for reliable comparisons between studies. There is limited representation of elite-level athletes (~  5% tier 4 and no tier 5) and underpowered sample sizes (≤ 20 participants). Research was biased toward adult male athletes of sports not requiring extreme ranges of motion, and mostly assessed the acute effects of static active stretching and dynamic stretching during the warm-up. Dose–resp onse relationships remain largely underexplored. Outcomes were mostly limited to gene...
Source: Sports Medicine - March 8, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

The Relationship Between Running Biomechanics and Running Economy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
ConclusionsRunning biomechanics can explain 4 –12% of the between-individual variation in RE when considered in isolation, with this magnitude potentially increasing when combining different variables. Implications for athletes, coaches, wearable technology, and researchers are discussed in the review.Protocol registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/293ND (OpenScience Framework). (Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - March 6, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Joining the Conversation on a Corresponsive Sport Science
(Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - March 6, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Associations Between Physical Characteristics and Golf Clubhead Speed: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
ConclusionsThe findings from this meta-analysis highlight a range of physical characteristics are associated with CHS. Whilst significant associations ranged from trivial to large, noteworthy information is that jump impulse produced the strongest association, upper body explosive strength showed noticeably larger associations than upper body strength, and flexibility was not significant. These findings can be used to ensure practitioners prioritise appropriate fitness testing protocols for golfers. (Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - February 29, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Mental Health in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review of Suicidal Behaviour as Compared to the General Population
ConclusionThis review suggests that elite athletes generally demonstrate reduced risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide completion compared to the general population. Coaches should remain aware of specific factors, such as male sex, non-white race, and higher athletic level, in order to better identify at-risk athletes. Limitations of this review include the heterogeneity in the methodology and athlete populations across the included studies. Therefore, future targeted research is essential to compare suicide behaviour between sports and identify sport-specific suicide risk factors.Trial RegistrationPROSP...
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Effects of Oral Iron Supplementation on Blood Iron Status in Athletes: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials
ConclusionsIncrease in serum ferritin concentration after OIS was evident in subjects with initial pre-supplementation serum ferritin concentration  ≤ 12 µg/l, while only minimal, if any effect, was observed in subjects with higher pre-supplementation serum ferritin concentration. The doses of OIS, that induced a beneficial effect on hematological parameters differed from 16 to 100 mg of elementary iron daily, over the period between 6 and 8 weeks. Shorter supplementation protocols have been shown to be ineffective. (Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

The Fallacy of Single Trials: The Need for Multiple Trials in Assessing Running Economy Responses in Advanced Footwear Technology
AbstractIn the quest to uncover the underlying mechanisms responsible for the performance-enhancing benefits imparted by advanced footwear technology (AFT), footwear researchers are employing an individual-level approach. In doing so, they hope to unveil individual-specific responses to AFT otherwise masked by a group-level approach. Classifying an individual ’s response on the basis of running economy (RE) is a logical strategy given that the intended purpose of AFT is to enhance performance; however, caution should be taken when doing so. Metabolic measurement devices are far from perfect, and given the known errors as...
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Factors Influencing Time to Return to Learn Among NCAA Student-Athletes Enrolled in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Study
ConclusionCollectively, the present findings suggest a rapid return to the classroom following concussion. Specifically, males demonstrated higher odds of time to RTL, whereas those with greater differences in symptom severity resulted in a higher rate of time to RTL among those who did not immediately RTL. Ultimately, these findings support prior work emphasizing an individualized approach to SRC management. (Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Understanding and Improving Athlete Mental Health: A Social Identity Approach
AbstractUnderstanding and positively influencing athlete mental health have become key goals for researchers and sporting stakeholders (e.g. coaches, support staff, clubs and governing bodies). In this article, we outline a novel perspective for tackling these challenges, drawing on an influential theory of group processes. This social identity approach can, we argue, help explain when and why the characteristics and demands of sport, which is typically a collective endeavour, pose a threat to athlete mental health and provide a guiding framework for efforts to protect and enhance athlete mental health. Here, we seek to il...
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research

Comment on: “The Effectiveness of Resisted Sled Training (RST) for Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
(Source: Sports Medicine)
Source: Sports Medicine - February 26, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research