All Articles by Lindsey Barton Straus, JD

Men who played high school football in Minnesota in the decade after World War II are not increased risk of later developing dementia, Parkinson's or ALS compared with non-football playing high school males, according to a study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic. 

The prevailing media narrative is that concussions or repetitive subconcussive blows "cause" chronic traumatic encephalopthy (CTE) and that there is a proven link between the two. It thus may come as a surprise that, despite widespread media coverage and speculation regarding the late-life or post-retirement risks of cognitive impairment in athletes who engaged in sports involving repetitive trauma, there has been very little in the way of peer-reviewed  literature to support that conclusion, leading many respected concussion researchers to view it as "scientifically premature."

Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections have emerged in recent years as a treatment for a variety of sports injuries, but there are few studies reporting on its effectiveness of PRP. Two top sports medicine physicians debate the hottest topic in orthopedics.

Eighty percent of the food products endorsed by professional athletes are energy-dense and nutrient poor, and an astounding 93.4% of the beverages they advertised received all their calories from added sugar, finds a disturbing new study, which called on athletes to refuse endorsement contracts that involve promotion of such foods and drinks.

The number of emergency department (ED) visits for sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) has risen over the past ten years, but the percentage of admissions has remained unchanged at about 10%, reports a new study. The study also reported a welcome trend towards admitting children with less severe TBI, which experts say may reflect a more cautious approach to management of brain injuries involving greater emphasis on in-patient observation to watch for signs of a serious brain injury, less routine use of CT and MRI scans, and less reliance on parents to observe their children for such signs at home in borderline cases.  

The National Athletic Trainers' Association has re-released an official statement regarding the calling of crown of the helmet violations in an effort to ensure sports safety at every level of football participation. Re-issuance of the statement by the NATA comes in the wake of at least two deaths of high school football players from catastrophic cervical spine injuries in 2013.

Nearly a third of patients at two leading sports concussion clinics reported having previously suffered a concussion which went undiagnosed, says a new study, putting them at increased risk of longer recovery from concussion, the cumulative effects of concussive injury, and of second impact syndrome.

Cheerleading:carries the highest rate of catastrophic injury in sports, accounts for fully two-thirds (66%) of all catastrophic injuries in female athletes has experienced a sharp rise in the number of emergency room visits since 1980, with cheerleaders ten times more likely to sustain concussions in practice than in competition

Cooling before and during exercise in hot weather yields a positive, but moderate, improvement in an athlete's performance in stop-and-go and endurance exercise, but actually impairs performance in short-duration, high intensity exercise, especially when the active muscles are directly cooled, a review of the medical literature suggests.