https://medicalxpress.com/sports-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sports medicine World Cup fever has America in its grip as the international soccer tournament grinds steadily toward the final. But a new study highlights a darker side to the sport: the toll soccer can take on the brains of professional players. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-pro-soccer-players-brains.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:40:01 EDT news703143831 New research from the University of Mississippi indicates that athletes with ADHD need even more scrutiny when head injuries are involved. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-athletes-adhd-higher-concussion-longer.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:40:01 EDT news703166930 Evidence that beetroot juice can improve athletic performance has long been inconsistent. While some studies reported benefits, others found little or no effect. Now, a new study combining results from 33 studies provides the clearest evidence yet that it can enhance exercise performance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-beetroot-juice-boost-sports-latest.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:00:09 EDT news703165262 Soccer players who are pregnant or have recently given birth can kick off the season with more confidence, using a new FIFA tool developed in collaboration with a University of Alberta researcher. Two decision aids, one for playing during pregnancy and one for returning to the game postpartum, have been launched by FIFA, an international governing body for the sport. Both are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-moms-game-fifa-pregnant-partum.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news703156107 Skeletal muscles—responsible for movement, joint stabilization and postural support—are highly metabolically active and heavily reliant on oxygen during physical activity. However, conditions such as high-intensity exercise or sustained exertion frequently expose skeletal muscles to reduced oxygen availability, which can compromise muscle homeostasis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mouse-uncovers-transcription-factors-hif1.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:20:04 EDT news703143850 The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published a new call to action statement urging the sports medicine community to intentionally incorporate social determinants of health (SDoH) into research, clinical care, and administrative and organizational decision-making to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-greater-focus-social-factors-health.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:20:01 EDT news702823721 A football player standing over a penalty in a hot, high-altitude stadium is dealing with more than pressure. His body is trying to keep cool. His heart and breathing may be working harder. Less oxygen is reaching his muscles. One poor decision can end his team's World Cup. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-world-cup-football-fatigue-extreme.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news702820981 A feature News and Perspectives story on AI fitness advice has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.. In "Should AI Be Your Personal Trainer?", JMIR Correspondent Anna Zucker covers the growing use of AI chatbots for personal fitness programs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-based-personal.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:40:05 EDT news702814716 When former All Black Sonny Bill Williams spoke from hospital before his recent neck surgery, his message was not simply about pain. It was a warning to young athletes and their parents about the physical price that can come with a professional sporting career. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-elite-athletes-health-impacts.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:20:06 EDT news702810721 Could the smell of chocolate wafting through the gym make strength training easier, or at least more pleasant? A new Frontiers in Physiology study found that sniffing dark chocolate with a high cocoa content decreased feelings of hunger, desire and intention to eat, and left trainees feeling fuller. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-dark-chocolate-leg-workout-easier.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:01 EDT news702711172 A targeted training program can help young female soccer players avoid torn knees and other injuries, a new study says. Girls who play soccer have a higher risk of leg and ankle injuries than boys, due to differences in strength and balance, researchers said in background notes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ward-injuries-soccer-girls.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:00:10 EDT news702724340 A new study from Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation found that National Football League (NFL) players had higher rates of neurodegenerative disease-caused mortality than the general population. A cohort study of nearly 20,000 NFL players revealed that, while players had lower mortality on average compared with national rates, they were four times more likely to experience neurodegenerative mortality. Results are published in eClinicalMedicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-nfl-players-die-due-neurodegenerative.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:05 EDT news702704463 In 1981, a researcher at Mount Sinai School of Medicine named William Fitzgerald noticed something strange—his blood pressure was lower after going for a jog. This anecdotal observation launched a robust investigation into this phenomenon, which would later be identified as post-exercise hypotension (PEH). One of the leaders in this field is College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) researcher and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of kinesiology Linda Pescatello. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-story-hypotension.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:20:06 EDT news702645661 The World Cup has the globe glued to TV screens, watching 22 soccer players work their magic on the field. Every so often, one of them takes a hard hit to the head from the ball or another player's head, and they often continue playing because there is no onsite way to check for a concussion and they need to get off the field. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-soccer-concussion-protocol-game-hardest.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:40:03 EDT news702627944 Many people in the U.K. now use apps, smartwatches or wearable devices to track their physical activity. Fitness trackers promise to help users become fitter, happier and healthier versions of themselves. For many people, they can be useful: a nudge to move more, a way to notice patterns, or a reminder that activity does not have to happen in a gym. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hidden-pitfalls-tracking.html Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:00:07 EDT news702210033 As pro cycling teams have been preparing for the start of the Tour de France on Saturday, extreme heat has rolled across Western Europe, smashing temperature records, cracking infrastructure and taking a toll on the population. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-experts-advice-events-excessive.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702286232 Male runners may be twice as likely as female runners to suddenly slow down—known as "hitting the wall"—during a marathon, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that men may be able to reduce this risk by starting races more slowly and speeding up throughout the race. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-men-slower-wall-marathons.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:40:04 EDT news702221101 Clinical exams that incorporate gait analysis after physical exertion may provide insight into how youths are recovering after concussions and help determine whether they are ready to return to sports, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Scottish Rite for Children (SRC) researchers found. Their study, published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, showed significant differences in the walking patterns and cognitive abilities of concussed youths after an experimental protocol. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-exertion-insight-recovery-youth-concussions.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:20:06 EDT news702129842 Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the fitness industry: People can now ask chatbots to write marathon plans, build gym programs and even adjust workouts based on sleep or heart rate data. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-personal-trainer-pocket-safe.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:20:03 EDT news702124381 You hop on the treadmill, set your pace and easily knock out a couple of kilometers (about 1.2 miles). Then, a few days later, you head outside to run the same distance. You try to keep the same speed you did at the gym, but it destroys you. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-treadmill-easier.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:00:06 EDT news702107341 The recent Four Corners episode exposed the devastating impacts of degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and its link with contact sports, primarily Australian rules football. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sports-dangerous-concussions-brain.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:40:01 EDT news702033973 New University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research shows that head injury data collected from smart mouthguards is run through a model that does not account for people of different sexes, ages and sizes. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach to analyzing data from smart mouthguards may mean serious injuries are missed, the study shows. The findings are published in the Journal of Biomechanics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-size-smart-mouthguard-overlook-rugby.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:00:12 EDT news701970061 Greater concussion symptom history is associated with increased odds of tinnitus, and associations with cognition, depression, and anxiety are larger among those with tinnitus, according to a study published online June 19 inSports Medicine Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-concussion-symptom-history-linked-odds.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:00:03 EDT news701611800 Air pollution is a stubborn problem in Utah, where periods of poor air quality often overlap with outdoor sports seasons for thousands of high school students. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-play-utah-high-school-athletic.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:20:07 EDT news701610181 As temperatures soar across the Northern Hemisphere, a free tool lets anyone, anywhere, check how dangerous the heat really is for their sport and decide whether it is safe to play. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-northern-hemisphere-temperatures-soar-app.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:05 EDT news701604301 In a randomized controlled trial, researchers tested whether a plant-based, whole-food, complementary-protein meal consumed immediately after a bout of weight training would stimulate a stronger muscle-building response than a nutritionally matched shake made with free amino acids. The study found no differences between the two, even though each contained 20 grams of protein. Both options yielded much lower muscle-protein synthesis than a post-workout meal of 20 grams of lean pork. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-food-meal-boost-workout-muscle.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news701437861 Argentina's Lionel Messi, England's Bukayo Saka, Spain's Lamine Yamal and Egypt's Mohamed Salah are all highly skilled soccer players in slightly different ways, as is the tall, powerful and technically proficient Norwegian Erling Haaland. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-world-cup-leftfooters-messi-valuable.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:05 EDT news701434201 Football is a lab for studying the many dimensions of head injury. From defensive backs running at the pace of a sprinter downhill into a 220-pound muscular running back at full speed, to 400-plus-pound linemen knocking heads nearly every play, the NFL is a breeding ground for concussive and subconcussive head injury exposure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-documented-concussions-nfl-players-linked.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:20:01 EDT news701337365 Why do some people seem to thrive under pressure while others seem to fold or crumple? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pressure-athletes-key.html Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:30:01 EDT news700740473 Researchers have identified several modifiable factors that influence psychological resilience in female athletes and found that greater resilience may help protect against depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and high levels of perceived stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-key-factors-resilience-mental-health.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:20:03 EDT news701005802