https://medicalxpress.com/sports-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Sports medicine It's an athlete's worst fear. Hearing a loud "pop" and feeling severe pain are usually the first signs you've torn your anterior cruciate ligament, also known as the ACL. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-acl-knee-injury.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:20:03 EDT news695472661 A recent move from a leading insurance provider has made it more difficult for AFL and AFLW players to access brain injury insurance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-concussion-athletes.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:00:04 EDT news695472541 An anterior cruciate ligament injury is a serious knee injury that often affects young, physically active people. On April 30, Dzan Rizvanovic will defend his thesis "Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: rationale for graft choice and treatment of associated injuries" in which he has investigated how treatment choice affects outcomes after ACL reconstruction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-qa-choice-graft-surgeon-term.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:40:01 EDT news695384634 Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and other partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have now identified a previously unknown function of the PICALM protein in skeletal muscle: The protein responds sensitively to physical activity and intermittent fasting. It also plays a decisive role in the formation of new muscle fibers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-picalm-links-intermittent-fasting-muscle.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:00:07 EDT news695309161 Knowing whether a child has sustained a concussion is an important matter to clinicians, parents and bystanders alike. However, the signs and symptoms that are most meaningful to look for are not as well defined. A study published last week in JAMA provides important new information that pinpoints the signs and symptoms that strongly indicate that a child has a concussion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-child-headache-dizziness-mental-fog.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:20:13 EDT news695305239 A rise of high-tech recovery culture is underway. As sports science becomes increasingly accessible, we're seeing a trickle-down effect from elite athletes to weekend warriors, and even recreational exercisers, who are exploring ways to biohack better health and speed up recovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-biohacks-basics-recovery.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:20:04 EDT news695019481 The Privacy Commissioner of Canada recently announced the outcome of its investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), concluding a years-long examination of the organization's data-sharing practices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-privacy-complaint-world-antidoping-agency.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:05 EDT news694958041 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 When most people think of Cirque du Soleil, they envision bodies flying through the air, performers bending in ways that defy anatomy and acts so daring they sit on the edge of danger. With such breathtaking risk involved, it's easy to assume the injury rate, especially concussions, must be high. But thanks to a new study led by Ohio University's Dr. Jeff Russell, we now know just how often head injuries actually happen under the big top. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-big-decade-injuries-cirque-du.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:10:01 EDT news694850162 While sports news headlines may focus on injuries affecting professional golfers, including Achilles tendon problems, back and ankle issues, most golf injuries are not sudden. They develop over time and are often preventable with proper warm-up, strength, and mechanics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-teeing-good-health-golf-injuries.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news694794901 Push-ups can be a challenge for the best of us. But many women struggle to do them, even after months of training in the gym. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-woman-pushup-hack-trending-social.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:30:01 EDT news694782722 As we move into spring, it's common for people to increase their daily movement with activities like outdoor walks, yard work, pickleball and race training. Soreness is a normal result, but sometimes lingering pain can be a sign something else is going on. It's important to be able to identify what is a normal ache and what could need further medical attention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-doctor-joint-pain.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news694084165 Growing older has plenty of upsides—but achy joints is not one of them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-aging-joints-healthy.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news694174930 South Africa is facing an alarming increase in non-communicable diseases and related mortality. According to Statistics South Africa, deaths due to non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension increased by over 58% between 1997 and 2018. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-gym-small-movements-health-benefits.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news694101935 Kinesio taping, or "KT tape" as it's usually known—widely used to ease joint/muscle pain and boost range of movement—may not be all that effective, suggests a pooled data analysis of the existing evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-effectiveness-widely-kt-tape-jointmuscle.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:30:04 EDT news694157840 The University of Portsmouth's Research Group in Breast Health (RGBH) has worked alongside UEFA to develop an educational breast health resource for football players—the first to provide dedicated guidance for players during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The UEFA Medical & Anti-Doping Sports Bra Guide provides players, parents and club staff with easy-to-apply, evidence-informed advice on breast health, sports bra selection and support, across body changes women experience throughout their lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-partum-scientific-uefa-breast-health.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:00:01 EDT news694079472 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 It's a simple premise; movement is medicine—not just a mantra for gym buffs and marathon runners. It's a prescription for a good life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-powerful-drug-movement.html Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:04 EDT news693050854 Taking a punishing hit on the football field or soccer pitch; having your head jostle around during a car accident; experiencing a fall from a ladder. An estimated 3.8 million concussions occur each year throughout the U.S. as a result of sports and non-sports activities. While their severity can fluctuate based on a number of factors, more than half go unreported. And their elusiveness to medical imaging makes proper diagnosis and recovery all the more important. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-concussions-dangerous-expert.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:50:01 EDT news693134496 When the World Athletics Indoor Championships get underway in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, on March 20, be sure to tune in to the men's seven-event heptathlon and the women's five-event pentathlon. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-case-combined-events-decathlon-heptathlon.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:40:03 EDT news693133234 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 Ballet is an art of illusion: dancers seem to float across the stage and, in their leaps, appear to defy gravity for a moment. The effort behind this lightness and grace usually remains invisible to audiences. "Professional dance is a high-performance sport," says Professor Eileen Wanke of the Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt. "It requires exceptional physical control and athleticism, developed through many years of intensive training." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-sensor-injury-pro-dancers.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:40:04 EDT news693138962 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 Every March, millions of Americans fill out brackets and tune in to watch the NCAA college basketball tournaments known as March Madness. The men's and women's competitions unfold in parallel, each with their own brackets, champions, storylines, and fan bases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-wheelchair-basketball-biggest-assumptions-sex.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:50:03 EDT news692970121 For decades, elite runners have traveled the world to train at high altitude. When oxygen levels in the air are low, the body responds by producing more red blood cells—the cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. When athletes return to sea level, this greater oxygen-carrying capacity can enhance endurance performance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-marathon-hot-faster.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:10:01 EDT news692881562 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 As soccer's Women's Asian Cup continues in Australia, much analysis will inevitably focus on the physical: the speed of Mary Fowler, the power of Sarina Bolden, the endurance of Yui Hasegawa and Ellie Carpenter. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-menstrual-athlete.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:50:01 EDT news692613391 If TikTok fitness advice is to be believed, you should be interval walking like the Japanese, hanging from a pull-up bar every day and committing to a 75-day challenge with no rest days. Some of these trends are grounded in scientific research. Others are built on shaky claims or misunderstandings of how the body actually adapts to exercise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-japanese-hard-science-viral-trends.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:30:01 EDT news692529445 In former college athletes, having had three or more concussions was associated with slightly worse physical, mental, behavioral and cognitive health five years after graduation, according to an article published March 11, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-college-athletes-concussions-worse-brain.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:00:08 EDT news692435996