British Journal of Sports Medicine

Mental health emergencies require a rapid, effective response. We searched the literature on mental health emergencies in athletes and found five papers. None of these addressed elite athletes. Nonetheless, common mental health emergencies may present in the sports environment and may place the athlete and others at risk. Sports teams and organisations should anticipate which emergencies are likely and how medical and support staff can best respond. Responses should be based on general non-sporting guidelines...

OBJECTIVES: This narrative review summarises the literature on the mental health of Paralympic athletes, explores possible reasons for the paucity of research in this area and suggests directions for future research. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted using search terms related to disability, sport and mental health. RESULTS: The search yielded 665 publications...

Sleep is an important determinant of collegiate athlete health, well-being and performance. However, collegiate athlete social and physical environments are often not conducive to obtaining restorative sleep. Traditionally, sleep has not been a primary focus of collegiate athletic training and is neglected due to competing academic, athletic and social demands. Collegiate athletics departments are well positioned to facilitate better sleep culture for their athletes. Recognising the lack of evidence-based or consensus-based guidelines for sleep management and restorative sleep for collegiate athletes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association hosted a sleep summit in 2017...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common brain developmental disorder in the general population that may be even more prevalent in elite athletes in certain sports. General population studies of ADHD are extensive and have reported on prevalence, symptoms, therapeutic and adverse effects of treatment and new clinical and research findings. However, few studies have reported on prevalence, symptoms and treatments of ADHD in elite athletes. This narrative review summarises the literature on symptoms, comorbidities, effects of ADHD on performance and management options for elite athletes with ADHD...

Bipolar and psychotic disorders are relatively common and likely to have a significant impact on quality of life and functioning which, in the context of elite sport, includes a potential negative impact on sporting performance. For this narrative review article, the literature on bipolar and psychotic disorders in elite athletes was comprehensively searched, and little empirical research was found. A diagnosis of bipolar or psychotic disorders may be challenging in elite athletes because of complicating factors related to the modifying role of exercise and potential precipitating impact of substance use...

BACKGROUND: Substances from various classes may be used for recreational purposes, self-treatment or to boost performance. When substance use shifts from occasional to regular, heavy or hazardous use, positive and negative effects can develop that vary by substance class and athlete. Regular use of recreational or performance enhancing substances can lead to misuse, sanctions or use disorders. OBJECTIVE: To review the prevalence, patterns of use, risk factors, performance effects and types of intervention for all classes of recreational and performance enhancing substances in elite athletes by sport, ethnicity, country and gender...

OBJECTIVE: The use of financial incentives to promote physical activity (PA) has grown in popularity due in part to technological advances that make it easier to track and reward PA. The purpose of this study was to update the evidence on the effects of incentives on PA in adults. DATA SOURCES: Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, CCTR, CINAHL and COCH. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCT) published between 2012 and May 2018 examining the impact of incentives on PA...

BACKGROUND: There have been no large randomised controlled trials to determine whether soccer headgear reduces the incidence or severity of sport-related concussion (SRC) in US high school athletes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether headgear reduces the incidence or severity (days out from soccer) of SRCs in soccer players. METHODS: 2766 participants (67% female, age 15.6±1.2) (who undertook 3050 participant years) participated in this cluster randomised trial...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: In sports physiotherapy, medicine and orthopaedic randomised controlled trials (RCT), the investigators (and readers) focus on the difference between groups in change scores from baseline to follow-up. Mean score changes are difficult to interpret ('is an improvement of 20 units good?'), and follow-up scores may be more meaningful. We investigated how applying three different responder criteria to change and follow-up scores would affect the 'outcome' of RCTs. Responder criteria refers to participants' perceptions of how the intervention affected them...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate knee osteoarthritis (OA) risk following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), meniscus or combined ACL and meniscus injury. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL and Web of Science until November 2018. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Prospective or retrospective studies with at least 2-year follow-up including adults with ACL injury, meniscal injury or combined injuries...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour is associated with impaired cognition, whereas exercise can acutely improve cognition. OBJECTIVE: We compared the effects of a morning bout of moderate-intensity exercise, with and without subsequent light-intensity walking breaks from sitting, on cognition in older adults. METHODS: Sedentary overweight/obese older adults with normal cognitive function (n=67, 67±7 years, 31.2±4.1 kg/m2 ) completed three conditions (6-day washout): SIT (sitting): uninterrupted sitting (8 hours, control); EX+SIT (exercise + sitting): sitting (1 hour), moderate-intensity walking (30 min), uninterrupted sitting (6...

OBJECTIVE: We compared data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Concussion Study (1999-2001) and the NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium (2014-2017) to examine how clinical management, return to play (RTP) and risk of repeat concussion in collegiate football players have changed over the past 15 years. METHODS: We analysed data on reported duration of symptoms, symptom-free waiting period (SFWP), RTP and occurrence of within-season repeat concussion in collegiate football players with diagnosed concussion from the NCAA Study (n=184) and CARE (n=701)...

OBJECTIVE: Para athletes reap significant health benefits from sport but are vulnerable to non-accidental harms. Little is known about the types and impacts of non-accidental harms Para athletes face. In this literature review, we summarise current knowledge and suggest priorities for future research related to non-accidental harms in Para athletes. DESIGN: Six electronic databases were searched between August and September 2017. 2245 articles were identified in the initial title/abstract review, and 202 records were selected for full-text review following preliminary screening...

This narrative review examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders-mental health conditions with complex diagnosis and treatment considerations-in elite athletes. Athletes may exhibit greater rates of PTSD (up to 13%-25% in some athlete populations) and other trauma-related disorders relative to the general population. We describe common inciting events leading to symptoms of PTSD in elite athletes, including trauma incurred in sports participation through direct physical injury, secondary/witnessed traumatic events, or abusive dynamics within sports teams...

Physical therapists employ ultrasound (US) imaging technology for a broad range of clinical and research purposes. Despite this, few physical therapy regulatory bodies guide the use of US imaging, and there are limited continuing education opportunities for physical therapists to become proficient in using US within their professional scope of practice. Here, we (i) outline the current status of US use by physical therapists; (ii) define and describe four broad categories of physical therapy US applications (ie, rehabilitation, diagnostic, intervention and research US); (iii) discuss how US use relates to the scope of high value physical therapy practice and (iv) propose a broad framework for a competency-based education model for training physical therapists in US...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.