Sports Science

Scientists have revealed that glucocorticoids, a class of steroid hormones that are commonly prescribed as drugs, enhance muscle endurance and alleviate muscular dystrophy through activation of the gene KLF15. Critically, this pathway is not involved in muscle wasting or the other major detrimental effects of prolonged steroid use. The discovery could lead to the development of new medications that improve muscle function without the negative consequences caused by long-term steroid exposure, especially important for progressive muscle wasting diseases like Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD…

Standing for at least one-quarter of the day has been linked to lower odds of obesity, finds a new survey in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. But don't tell all those waitresses with sore backs and varicose veins. Sedentary behavior (such as watching TV and commuting time) has been linked to negative health effects, so standing has become the latest health fad. What is missing is any real evidence that more time spent standing has protective health benefits. A research team led by Dr. Kerem Shuval, Director of Physical Activity&Nutrition Research at the American Cancer Society, examined…

Achilles tendon disorders are both common and misdiagnosed, with about 25 percent of ruptures missed during initial examination. The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and functions as the structural gateway between the leg, ankle, and foot. Its function is critical for walking, running, and jumping, so the injury is often associated with athletes, of whom eight percent will likely experience an acute rupture during their lifetime. About 24 percent of athletes will battle chronic tendinopathy at some point, researchers noted. Achilles injuries are somewhat less common among non…

When you think of cheerleaders, and skimpy outfits, you probably do not consider them as being on the front lines of challenging stereotypes. But they are. No one is a professional cheerleader, instead they are scientists, engineers and just about any other occupation who compete to be on squads for the same reason anyone competes in anything. And it has become an inclusive activity for both boys and girls, which means it can do a lot more to challenge traditional ideas about gender roles than forcing mixed-sex sports on kids.  Drs. Esther Priyadharshani and Amy Pressland from …

A new systematic review and meta-analysis finds the overall rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among high school athletes is significantly higher among females than males - and soccer is the most injury-causing for women.   Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found significant risk of anterior cruciate ligament  injury among both genders, but though the majority of ACL injuries occur in boys, the rate of injury per exposure is higher in girls. Specifically, in girls, the highest anterior cruciate ligament  injury risks per season were observed…

The use of prescription-only painkillers by athletes is hardly new, but debate about their (ab)use in Australia has recently been brought into focus by the emergency hospitalization of South Sydney NRL players Aaron Gray and Dylan Walker, both of whom suffered a life-threatening reaction to a combination of controlled drugs. These athletes were recovering from post-season surgery to address injuries, with painkillers prescribed by their surgeons to assist with post-operative discomfort. According to a Fairfax report, Gray and Walker had been prescribed the painkiller Targin, which they took.…

Using endurance training or strength and resistance training not only prepares an athlete for different types of sports, they can also change the way the brain and muscles communicate with each other. A University of Kansas study shows that the communication between the brain and quadriceps muscles of people who take part in endurance training, such as running long distances, is different than those who regularly took part in resistance training and those who were sedentary. The findings may offer clues to the type of physical activity humans are most naturally suited to. Trent Herda,…

Patients with spinal stenosis (SS) experienced good short term benefit, lasting from weeks to months, after receiving epidural steroid injections (ESI). These findings, which appear in a letter in the journal Pain Medicine, contradict a previously published New England Journal Medicine (NEJM) study that found epidural steroid injections were not helpful in spinal stenosis cases. It has been one year since the publication of "A Randomized Trial of Epidural Glucocorticoid Steroid Injections for Spinal Stenosis." This was a large scale clinical trial evaluating the use of ESI for SS. Pain…

Contrary to popular belief, the worst injuries baseball catchers face on the field come from errant bats and foul balls, not home-plate collisions with base runners, according to findings of a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The research, done in collaboration with Baltimore Orioles trainers Brian Ebel and Richard Bancells, involved analysis of all catcher injuries during major league baseball games over a 10-year period. A summary of the findings, published ahead of print Aug. 28 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, reveals that only a…

Despite the glitz and glory of Usain Bolt’s comeback victories and Jessica Ennis-Hill’s heptathlon triumph at the World Championships, 2015 is shaping up as quite the annus horribilis for athletics. Recent revelations about doping in past athletics competitions have cast a long shadow over the competition. Doping experts Michael Ashenden and Robin Parisotto have evaluated leaked IAAF blood value data, and declared that around of third of medals were won by athletes with suspicious values world championships and Olympics between 2001 and 2012. A confidential survey of athletes, which the…