Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of a new multicomponent, exercise-based injury prevention programme in football players 13–19 years old. Methods Two-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial with clubs as the unit of randomisation. 55 football teams from Kosovo of the under 15, under 17 and under 19 age groups were randomly assigned to the intervention (INT; 28 teams) or the control group (CON; 27 teams) and were followed for one football season (August 2021–May 2022). The INT group performed the ‘FUNBALL’ programme after their usual warm-up at least twice per week, while the CON group follo ..read more

Objective To examine and summarise evidence from meta-analyses of cohort studies that evaluated the predictive associations between baseline cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health outcomes among adults. Design Overview of systematic reviews. Data source Five bibliographic databases were searched from January 2002 to March 2024. Results From the 9062 papers identified, we included 26 systematic reviews. We found eight meta-analyses that described five unique mortality outcomes among general populations. CRF had the largest risk reduction for all-cause mortality when comparing high versus lo ..read more

Objectives To determine the incidence rate of suicide from 2002 to 2022 among athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and assess for potential differences by, sex, race, division and sport. Methods NCAA athlete deaths over a 20-year period from 2002 to 2022 were identified. Poisson regression models were built to assess changes in incidence rates over time. Linear and quadratic fits between year and suicide incidence for males and females were evaluated. Results Of 1102 total deaths, 128 (11.6%) deaths by suicide were reported (male n=98, female n=30). The overall inc ..read more

Objectives To determine if physiotherapists can deliver a clinically effective very low energy diet (VLED) supplementary to exercise in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and overweight or obesity. Methods 88 participants with knee OA and body mass index (BMI) >27 kg/m2 were randomised to either intervention (n=42: VLED including two daily meal replacement products supplementary to control) or control (n=46: exercise). Both interventions were delivered by unblinded physiotherapists via six videoconference sessions over 6 months. The primary outcome was the percentage change in body weight ..read more

Epidemiological systematic reviews are increasing in the field of sport and exercise medicine (SEM). For example, the prevalence or incidence rates of lower extremity (eg, knee), upper extremity (eg, hands), and head and neck injuries have been synthetised in different types of sports (eg, basketball).1–4 The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system is a rigorous and transparent approach that allows researchers to rate the certainty of evidence based on analysis of the risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision and publication bias.5 Althoug ..read more

Mass-gathering medicine The World Health Organistion (WHO) defines a mass gathering as a planned or spontaneous event where the number of people attending could strain the planning and response resources of the community or country hosting the event.1 The seed for mass-gathering medicine as a specialty was sown in the 2009 Hajj, which was held during the 2009 HIN1 influenza pandemic.23 Major international sporting events are also mass gatherings that require the planning and delivery of healthcare, not only for the athlete and their team, but also for the attendees and event staff. Typically ..read more

Appropriate frameworks Evaluating an injury prevention intervention at the population level is challenging. To guide the evaluation of a sports injury prevention intervention, Finch (2011) recommended the use of theoretical frameworks which have proven meaningful in public health-related prevention studies.1 However, the application of these frameworks in sports injury prevention research has been slow. One of these frameworks is the diffusion of innovations theory.2 The diffusion of innovations theory The diffusion innovation theory was first proposed in 1962 by Everett Rogers, with the fifth ..read more

Eliason P, Hagel BE, Palacios-Derflingher L, et al. No association found between body checking experience and injury or concussion rates in adolescent ice hockey players. Br J Sports Med 2022;56:1337-1344. The author Jean-Michel Galarneau has been added and the results and tables have been corrected in the online version only and not in print ..read more

Sport and exercise medicine (SEM) has gained recognition as a clinical specialty in South Africa, laying the foundation for the emergence of sport and exercise psychiatry (SEP) as a vital complementary discipline supporting the biopsychosocial approach to medical care for athletic populations. The mental health of athletes has been identified internationally as an area for prioritisation, supported by new clinical tools and resources.1 In addition, exercise is increasingly recognised as a form of mental health medicine for athletes and non-athletes.2 3 This editorial outlines the approach to d ..read more

Between 17 October and 19 October 2024, the South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) will host the 20th Biennial SASMA Congress in Cape Town. The theme of the congress is ‘Breaking boundaries in Sports and Exercise Medicine and Science’. The conference will host an A-list of local and international speakers and include a range of topics from clinical cases, injury prevention and management, mental health and well-being, and sport and exercise for health. In line with the congress theme, the SASMA BJSM edition showcases work that is pushing the envelope in sport and exercise medicine ..read more