https://medicalxpress.com/sports-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sports medicine Concussions are a common injury, responsible for as many as 3 million emergency room visits every year. Children playing sports or other recreation activities sustain nearly 4 million concussions every year, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mini-brain-reveals-mild-trigger.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:40:02 EDT news694946346 Being physically fit improves our health and keeps illness at bay. This relationship has long been assumed for numerous disorders, but until now there has been no scientific evidence demonstrating a causal link between the beneficial effects of physical exercise and a reduced risk of becoming ill. A new study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, has now confirmed this. The research was led by a team from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Universitat Ramon Llull and has established a relationship between genetics associated with good cardiorespiratory fitness and around thirty diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-physically-diseases-causal-link.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:40:01 EDT news694867622 Women who consistently met physical activity guidelines throughout middle age had half the risk of dying from any cause compared to women who remained inactive, according to a paper published in PLOS Medicine by Binh Nguyen of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues. Physical activity is known to provide numerous health benefits and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and premature mortality. However, most prior studies have measured physical activity at only a single point in time, which fails to capture how activity levels change over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-staying-middle-age-women-premature.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:00:01 EDT news693675181 A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä shows that regular leisure-time physical activity started at a young age prevents a decrease in work ability at the end of a career. The result is societally significant, as productivity losses due to reduced work ability cost billions of euros annually. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-physical-ability-lifelong-childhood-career.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:03 EDT news693144841 Research, led by teams at Trinity College Dublin and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Center, has pinpointed the mechanism linking some sports injuries to poor brain health in retired athletes. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, has identified a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as the key link between repetitive head injuries (RHIs) and long-term brain health issues in this cohort. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-leaky-brain-barrier-revealed-driver.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:17 EDT news693053813 The first major update to resistance-training guidelines in 17 years delivers one clear message: any amount of resistance training improves strength, muscle size, power and physical function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-guidelines-small-amounts-resistance-muscle.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:55:44 EDT news692862897 Increasing our level of physical fitness leads to a bigger release of brain-boosting proteins following one session of exercise, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher. The study, published in Brain Research, took a group of inactive unfit participants through a 12-week training program of cycling three times per week and made them fitter. Researchers found that as their fitness increased, so did the amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) released following exercise, resulting in improved brain function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-amplify-brain-boost.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EDT news692291282 American football is a high-octane contact sport in which repetitive head impacts (RHI) are a common sight. Researchers investigated the link between playing football and brain health, memory, and mental well-being later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-american-football-players-higher-life.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:00:01 EST news691838953