Sports Medicine News

Because of the high rates of injury associated with youth rugby, two experts from Newcastle University in England argue that tackle and other forms of harmful contact should be removed from the game, according to an opinion published in BMJ.

Adolescents in grades 8, 10 and 12 who took part in competitive sports were more likely to receive a concussion diagnosis during their lifetime, with 19.5% reporting at least one previous concussion in their lifetime, according to recent findings published in JAMA.

Pediatricians are encouraged to screen youth athletes for skin conditions and infections that could be transmitted to their teammates, and dispense cautionary advice regarding proper personal hygiene and sanitary sporting equipment, according to joint clinical report from the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.

The incidence of death or cardiac arrest during triathlons was 1.74 per 100,000 triathletes, with most being middle-aged and older men, according to findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

CHICAGO — Although concussion guidelines recommend not returning to play the same day an injury is sustained, girl soccer players were 414% more likely to return to the field that same day than were boys, according to a research presented at the AAP 2017 National Conference & Exhibition.

Youth athletes who participate in sports with weight classes or an emphasis on physique may be engaging in unhealthy strategies for weight loss and weight gain, according to a clinical report issued by the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.

A significant proportion of brains donated by deceased football players for research showed neuropathological evidence of chronic trauma encephalopathy, according to research recently published in JAMA.

Young children were more likely to experience high-impact head injuries during athletic practices while those performing at higher levels were more likely to sustain head injuries during competition, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.

After sustaining a concussion, adolescent and young women can have an increased risk for multiple abnormal menstrual patterns, indicating that it may be necessary to monitor these patterns in this population after head injury, according to findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.

High school students who played football in the 1950s experienced cognitive and depression outcomes later in life at similar rates to those who did not play football, according to recent data. These findings may provide current athletes with information on the long-term risks of playing contact sports. Other clinicians noted that further research was needed to draw broader conclusions.