Remembering Steven N Blair for making physical activity count every step of the way
Purposeful, intentional, supportive, influential, data driven and kind were how Dr Steven Noel Blair (4 July 1939–6 October 2023) lived his life. Previous tributes have already described his numerous accomplishments, awards and publications, but few have spoken about the full spectrum of his personal life, professional career, and service efforts towards physical activity and public health. He not only advocated for healthier living, but, true to his principles (and the data), he lived it daily. In the quiet spaces of a humble work spreadsheet, where he meticulously tracked his time and effort on projects, service co...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Boudreaux, B. D., Kennedy, A. B., Pate, R. R. Tags: BJSM Service spotlight Source Type: research

Ensuring football for all: a strategy for increasing inclusivity at The Football Association
‘Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being invited to dance’. (Verna Myers) The problem: barriers to playing mainstream youth football Over approximately 20 years, both authors have felt fortunate to have had the opportunities to develop clinical and research interests in para sports and para football (soccer). Many years ago, the lead author was asked if a young footballer could play mainstream football with a prosthesis and whether another child with disability could play mainstream football outside of their prescribed age group. This led to collaborative efforts with The Football Associatio...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Weiler, R., Ahmed, O. H. Tags: BJSM Service spotlight Source Type: research

Holistic approach to testing ball kicking mechanics and outcome metrics in soccer: methodological aspects, observation and intervention (PhD Academy Award)
What did I do? Here I provide a brief overview of six research articles1–6 that were developed to offer data and interpretations into strengths/weaknesses of current soccer kicking biomechanics testing paradigms,1 4 observation2 3 and intervention.5 6 The overall aims of the summarised articles were to investigate, in young academy soccer players, whether interindividual’s characteristics are related to ball kicking performance2 3 and common practice prescriptions and their possible effects5 6 on the movement mechanics and outcome metrics derived from shooting aiming at a far target. Proposing a real-world para...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Palucci Vieira, L. H. Tags: BJSM PhD Academy Award Source Type: research

Images in sports medicine: bone stress injury
History A female collegiate pole vaulter competing at the national level presented with constant pain in her non-dominant right lower leg. Initially, the assessing physician informed her that there were no signs of fracture or bone stress injury on the plain radiograph and told her to come back for an MRI if the pain in her non-take-off leg persisted. She continued to train without any improvement in symptoms. Relevant medical history included menstrual cycles that were regular, no indications of relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs),1 no history of injuries including bone stress injuries and a recent dual X-ray absor...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Tsukahara, Y., Forster, B. B., Plotkin, B. E., Torii, S. Tags: BJSM Images in sports medicine Source Type: research

Walking speed and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Conclusions Low to moderate certainty evidence, mainly from studies with a high risk of bias, suggests that walking at faster speeds is associated with a graded decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023432795. (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Jayedi, A., Zargar, M.-S., Emadi, A., Aune, D. Tags: Editor's choice, Press releases, BJSM Reviews with MCQs, BJSM Systematic review Source Type: research

Exploring the association between cognitive activity and symptom resolution following concussion in adolescents aged 11-17 years
Conclusion In adolescents with concussion, more moderate-high intensity cognitive activity is associated with faster symptom resolution, and a delayed return to school is associated with slower symptom resolution. However, these relationships may be bidirectional and do not necessarily imply causality. Randomised controlled trials are needed to determine if exposure to early cognitive activity can promote concussion recovery in adolescents. (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Yang, J., Alshaikh, E., Asa, N., VonDeylen, O., Desai, N., Taylor, H. G., Pommering, T., MacDonald, J. P., Cohen, D. M., Yeates, K. O., ReAct Clinical Study Group, Cuff, Duerson, Fischer, Napolitano, Ravindran, Rodenberg, Valasek Tags: BJSM Original research Source Type: research

Year-round injury and illness surveillance in UK summer paralympic sport athletes: 2016-2019
Conclusions To optimise health and performance in Paralympic sport athletes, system-wide mitigation initiatives should target priority injury problems occurring in the lumbar/pelvis, shoulder, thoracic spine/ribs and wrist. Illness types causing the greatest burden vary with impairment group, and illness mitigation initiatives should consider athlete impairment types in their design, while continuing to note the high incidence of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness across all impairments. Further research should examine associated risk factors and the influence of impairment categorisation. (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Brownlow, M., Wootten, M., McCaig, S., Taylor, A., Webborn, N., Bennett, P., Wass, J., Ibrahim, D., Ranson, C. Tags: BJSM Original research Source Type: research

Association of accelerometer-measured physical activity and its change with progression to chronic kidney disease in adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity
Conclusions Longer MVPA time and increases in MVPA was associated with a reduced risk of progression to CKD in adults with overweight/obesity and T2D. (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Liu, M., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., He, P., Zhou, C., Ye, Z., Yang, S., Gan, X., Hou, F. F., Qin, X. Tags: Press releases, BJSM Original research Source Type: research

Clinical and exercise professional opinion of return-to-running readiness after childbirth: an international Delphi study and consensus statement
This study proposes recommendations for the initial guidance on return-to-running postpartum, framed in the context of current research and consensus from professionals. Future research is needed to strengthen and validate specific recommendations and develop guidelines for best practice when returning-to-running after childbirth. (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Christopher, S. M., Donnelly, G., Brockwell, E., Bo, K., Davenport, M. H., De Vivo, M., Dufour, S., Forner, L., Mills, H., Moore, I. S., Olson, A., Deering, R. E. Tags: Editor's choice, BJSM Consensus statement Source Type: research

Women, concussion and disputing an old myth: the game of football is not 'unsuitable for females
Despite the popularity of women’s football (soccer), in 1921 the Football Association in England outlawed women from playing on association members’ pitches and stated that ‘the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.’1 Many countries followed suit, with the ‘ban’ remaining in place for almost 50 years until the English Women’s Football Association was formed in 1969.1 Was the ‘ban’ justified to ‘protect’ players of the female sex? (NB: sex refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Peek, K., Fraser, K., Yearwood, G. M. H., McKay, M. J. Tags: BJSM Editorial Source Type: research

Anterior T-wave inversion in black athletes: an African perspective
International sporting organisations are increasingly using ECG-based screening to identify athletes at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD).1 Since the introduction of athlete ECG interpretation criteria in 2005, numerous modifications have been made to improve their sensitivity and specificity.2 These include a nuanced classification of T-wave inversions (TWI), a potential feature of underlying cardiomyopathy. Since 2013, successive criteria have recommended that TWI confined to the anterior leads (V1–V4) and preceded by J-point elevation and convex ST-segment elevation in black athletes (BA) should be considered a p...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Ilodibia, T. F., Riding, N. Tags: BJSM Editorial Source Type: research

Paving the way for greater open science in sports and exercise medicine: navigating the barriers to adopting open and accessible data practices
Sport healthcare and performance support practitioners require data to inform clinical and performance decisions, identify risk factors and investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of different interventions.1 Data sharing is a key component to improve sport healthcare decisions and initiatives, particularly in identifying and tackling systemic health priorities. However, sport healthcare data sharing practices are extremely limited due to little uptake and incentives, which inhibits knowledge growth, evidence synthesis and research progress.1 Incorporating open science practices into sport healthcare can increase the ef...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Bullock, G. S., Ward, P., Kluzek, S., Hughes, T., Shanley, E., Arundale, A. J. H., Ranson, C., Nimphius, S., Riley, R. D., Collins, G. S., Impellizzeri, F. M. Tags: BJSM Editorial Source Type: research

The global arena of sports medicine!
The discourse surrounding equity, diversity and inclusion is gaining significant traction across various domains, and the world of sports medicine is no exception. Recognising the profound impact of societal structures, cultural norms, systemic and unconscious biases is imperative for all of us. We need to be comfortable with discomfort and address these issues head-on to move the field forward. By fostering an environment that values and respects the diverse identities, experiences and needs of individuals, we can strive towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all. We are committed to amplifying marginalised voi...
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 13, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Bakare, U., Mosler, A. B. Tags: BJSM Warm up Source Type: research

Premature ventricular beats in athletes: to detrain or not to detrain?
Br J Sports Med. 2024 Mar 12:bjsports-2023-107384. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107384. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38471745 | DOI:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107384 (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 12, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Alessandro Biffi Stefano Palermi Flavio D'Ascenzi Marco Bonifazi Alessandro Zorzi Domenico Corrado Source Type: research

Premature ventricular beats in athletes: to detrain or not to detrain?
Br J Sports Med. 2024 Mar 12:bjsports-2023-107384. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107384. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38471745 | DOI:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107384 (Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine - March 12, 2024 Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Alessandro Biffi Stefano Palermi Flavio D'Ascenzi Marco Bonifazi Alessandro Zorzi Domenico Corrado Source Type: research