Editor's Choice
Physical activity across the lifespan: the need for a gender perspective
For the November issue, I would like to highlight three papers addressing the topic of physical activity. In the past decades, there has been an increasing interest in physical activity research, with a shift from emphasizing aerobic exercise to the broader concept of physical activity for various health benefits6. Physical activity guidelines describe how much physical activity at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MVPA) is needed to achieve these beneficial health effects. Generally, less females than males comply with physical activity guidelines: 85% of girls and 78% of boys, and 32% of women and 23% of men4,5.Two "hot topics" addressed and one article about "unknown territory"
For our October issue, it is my pleasure to highlight three papers from Denmark, Australia and Canada. Two of them address research questions from heavily debated areas (use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, NSAIDs, by athletes4 ; management of head injuries 5) whereas the other one is from an underresearched field (sport and gastrointestinal problems1).The reduction of sport-related fatal incidents is an ongoing task for sport physicians
The survived cardiac arrest of Christian Eriksen during the European Football Championships 2020 (postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic) has shown once again that even the seemingly healthiest athletes who perform at the highest level are not immune to cardiac disease and even sudden cardiac death. Although fortunately rare, such cases are always threatening and have the potential to impair the reputation of sport despite "contradictory" findings like the ones from Orchard et al.4 in this issue who report a reduced death rate compared to the general population even in a contact sport like Australian Rules Football when played on elite level.Relevance by content and for methodological reasons: Neck Strength, Childhood Fitness and Maximal Lactate Steady State in Swimmers
Three articles of the current JSAMS issue may warrant particular attention because they either investigate "hot topics" or give us methodological clues how to address particular research questions properly:Return to exercise post-COVID-19 infection: A pragmatic approach in mid-2022
With over half a billion cases of COVID-19 reported globally since December 2019, medical knowledge of COVID-19, its mode of transmission, clinical manifestations and possible long-term complications has increased significantly. Advice regarding investigation, management and return to exercise has also changed over this time in line with emerging evidence, vaccine distribution and the features of new variants. This editorial seeks to synthesize the current knowledge on return to exercise following COVID-19 infection, based on current scientific literature and real-world experience.Low energy intake (RED-S), hamstring injuries in cricketeers and exercise during pregnancy - relevant (clinical) topics from sports practice
This issue of JSAMS features several articles with high practical relevance of which I would like to highlight three:What are the employment prospects for Australian Sport Scientists?
The most recent unemployment figures released on April 14th show that only 4% of the labour force across Australia was unemployed in March 2022.1 But what are the employment prospects for Australian Sport Scientists entering in the labour force now and in the future? No doubt the industry was disrupted over the past 2 years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the accreditation standards set forth by Exercise Sport Science Australia (ESSA) that have been adopted by Australian Universities when training their sport science students should have ensured the development of a rigorous set of graduate skills and qualities, which in many cases can be transferrable to a variety of settings.Imminent topics in cardiac screening and injury recording
This issue of JSAMS addresses two burning topics of current sports medicine and sport science - mainly from a scientific but also from a practitioner´s perspective:Can heat exposure improve exercise performance?
As part of a new set of initiatives, the JSAMS editor group established the early goal in 2022 of increasing the social media activity of our journals. Many academic journals have demonstrated over the past few years the increased importance of a strong social media presence. Dissemination of information on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube help maximise a journal’s impact and reach across a variety of different stakeholders, which is particularly important for JSAMS and its new sister journal JSAMS Plus, as we seek to best serve both our academic and practitioner readership.Outcome of a neuromuscular training program on recurrent ankle sprains. Does the initial type of healthcare matter?
The first of our featured articles this month, by Mailuhu and co-workers, describes the outcome of a secondary analysis of three randomised trials examining the impact of initial healthcare on the outcome of neuromuscular training on recurrent ankle sprains. In the second feature article, Garcia-Hermoso’s group report the results of a test of a before-school physical activity intervention (Active-Start intervention) on blood pressure in children and examines whether sedentary time moderates the effect of the intervention on blood pressure.Are nutritional supplements a gateway to doping in competitive team sports?
In the first of the month’s featured articles, Barkouris, Lazuras, Ourda and Tsorbatzoudis ask the question, are nutritional supplements a gateway to doping in competitive team sports? In the second feature article, Reid and colleagues question the utlility of MRI in assessing tennis players with wrist pain and in the third of the month’s feature articles, Orchard and co-workers report the results of an audit of compliance with the cardiac screening policy for elite Australian cricket players.Classifying motor coordination impairment in para swimmers with brain injury
In our first article of the month Hogarth and colleagues add evidence to the development of sport specific classification systems in Paralympic Swimming with a report of an assessment of a task to classify motor coordination impairment. King’s group outline a review of five years of data on female rugby injuries from the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation. In the third feature article, Chesher’s team indicate the need to capture data on decelerations in elite field hockey players as a potential significant contributor to load.International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance 2017 (ICSPP2017) Special Issue
This special issue of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport originates from the 4th International Congress of Soldiers’ Physical Performance (ICSPP2017) which was hosted by the Defence Science and Technology Group in Melbourne, Australia from 28 November to 1 December 2017. The ICSPP is the most important international conference in applied military human performance research and therefore attracts experts from all over the world. ICSPP2017 had a record attendance of 502 delegates from 32 countries (Fig.Bone mineral density in pre-professional ballet dancers
In the first of this month’s feature articles, Wewege and Ward report the results of a systematic review of bone mineral density in pre-professional female ballet dancers concerningly suggesting reduced upper limb bone densities compared to controls. In the second article Zhu and colleagues suggest that sit/stand work stations can reduce overall sitting times in a real-world environment. In the third feature article, Cobley’s group outline the impact of relative age on performance advantage in national level Australian swimmers.Heat stress incidents, and match play at the Australian Open
In this month’s first feature article, Smith and colleagues outline the relationship between wet bulb globe temperature and heat injury incidents at the Australian Open. In the second article, Delevatti’s group compare the effects of dry land aerobic and aquatic training on individuals with type 2 diabetes. In the final feature article this month, Christie and co-workers undertook a repeated measures study examining the differences in pacing strategies in sprinting between wickets in skilled and less skilled players.Exercise intensity and inflammation in type 2 diabetes
Mallard and colleagues lead off the first of this month’s feature articles with a research report suggesting that there is no significant acute impact of either high intensity interval training or moderate intensity continuous training on inflammatory markers in individuals with type two diabetes. In the second feature article, Song’s group provide support for the existence of postural control impairments in individuals with chronic ankle instability when cutaneous sensation is reduced compared to healthy controls.The King-Devick Test and concussion diagnosis
Molloy, Murphy and Gissane report a descriptive cohort study in the first of this month’s feature articles, suggesting that the King-Devick Test may not be effective as a stand-alone concussion test but may add value to side line cognitive and balance tests. In the second feature article, Drew and colleagues describe the major time loss factors due to illness in a cohort of Rio Olympic athletes and in the final feature article, Fransen’s group outline the need for high quality leadership development programs in optimising team effectiveness.Statins for primary prevention in active individuals; risks versus benefits?
Mansi and colleagues lead off the featured articles this month with an examination of the risks versus benefits of statin use in physically active individuals. In the second featured article, Tsehaie’s group report no significant enhancement to diagnosis provided by MRI in chronic Achilles tendinopathy. In the third feature article, Lee, Spence and Carson suggest that both physical activity and specific types of sedentary activity are important for children’s brain development.Quantifying jump loads
This month’s sports injury section leads off with a report by Charlton and colleagues outlining a method for quantifying jump loads in volleyball edging closer to the holy grail of effective load management as an underlying tool in injury prevention. Fuller, Kemp and Raftery describe a study on the use of real time video for enhancing the elite rugby doctor’s field side decisions on concussion management. Extending the load management theme in injury prevention, Malone’s group examine the protective effect of high chronic training loads in Gaelic football.Rating perceived exertion using facial expressions
To kick off the first issue of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport for 2017 we have a focus on sport science and physical activity to get you moving from the seasonal break. We are also undertaking a number of improvements to the Journal from 2017 the aims of which are two-fold. The first being to increase the accessibility of the journal by progressing to a predominately online format, which will allow authors to see their work published more quickly, and is already the predominate form in which the journal is accessed.Using video in concussion surveillance
In this month's sport and exercise medicine section Makdissi and Davis examine the effectiveness of using video analysis for concussion surveillance in Australian football. They suggest that video analysis has a part to play in the side-line assessment of concussion in support of an appropriate clinical assessment. However, they acknowledge that the need for multiple camera angles with good quality video limits this approach to high level games. Thorning and colleagues in an exploratory study of the effect of knee bracing in menisectomised patients suggest that worthwhile changes in knee joint moments warrant further research on these devices.Best practice in assessing clients for clinical exercise services
Bahl, Dollman and Davidson in this month's sport and exercise medicine section report on the results of a Delphi study examining the evidence defining the critical domains in subjective assessment that guide the clinical exercise physiologist's decision making. They suggest that twenty three domains need to be addressed in a clinical assessment to ensure the delivery of safe exercise prescription. Mendis and Hides outline the results of a randomised intervention comparing motor control exercises for the hip musculature versus wait list control on muscle dimensions on MRI.Sport performance success or failure depends on degree of modified training time
In the lead article in this month's sport and exercise medicine section Raysmith and Drew report on the impact of injury and illness on training availability of track and field athletes. They indicate that training availability is a critical determinant of performance goal success or failure at the international level. In the second article in this section Drew and co-workers report that the prevalence of groin pain in Australian Football players warrants assessment of mechanical pain sensitivity in this group.Efficacy of group based sport and exercise programs for indigenous adults?
Pressick and co-workers systematic review, on research into the effectiveness of group-based sport and exercise programs designed for indigenous adults in Australia, supports the design of programs that incorporate both nutrition and sport or exercise components as being effective in producing positive intermediate term health outcomes. In other articles in this month's physical activity section, Brusseau, Burns and Fu suggest that US adolescent physical activity levels during middle school years are seasonally highest in outdoor activity in autumn, having implications for seasonal programming of interventions.
