TOPIC

Sports research

Everything we have read on sports. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,148 PAPERS · PAGE 1 OF 23 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTRNSystematic Review2016Protein Supplementation Does Not Significantly Augment the Effects of Resistance Exercise Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationProtein supplements did not significantly boost the strength or muscle gains from resistance training in older adults. While training itself worked, adding protein made no difference compared to training alone for most people.
• PTOTRNQualitative2018Stakeholders' Perceptions Sought to Inform the Development of a Low-Cost Mobile Robot for Older Adults: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.Clinical nursing researchOlder adults in senior housing wanted to do daily self-care and household tasks themselves, keep active, and stay connected to family and friends. Staff visits did not replace that need. Safety checks and reminders mattered.
• PTOTRNNarrative Review2020Proactive Rehabilitation for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.Seminars in oncology nursingScreen oncology patients for motor deficits using simple tests like the Five Times Sit-to-Stand or Timed Up and Go. Refer to physical or occupational therapy early to address balance and dexterity issues. Recommend exercise to help manage chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
• PTSurvey2020Being obese versus trying to lose weight: Relationship with physical inactivity and soda drinking among high school students.The Journal of school healthAmong US high school students, trying to lose weight was linked to being obese and to physical inactivity, not more activity. Girls trying to lose weight also reported drinking less soda than girls not trying. This is association, not proof.
• PTRNOther2021Individual Differences in Response to Supervised Exercise Therapy for Peripheral Artery Disease.Western journal of nursing researchAfter 12 weeks of supervised exercise therapy for peripheral artery disease, mean six-minute walking distance rose by 29.0 m, yet 31.8% did not improve. Each participant improved in at least one outcome.
• PTOTRNQualitative2022The processes of hospital discharge and recovery after blunt thoracic injuries: The patient's perspective.Nursing openPatients recovering from blunt thoracic injuries described discharge as rushed and poorly coordinated. They were often unprepared for pain, mobility and opioid safety at home, including too little medication and no weaning advice.
• PTRNQualitativeFacilitators and Challenges to Exergaming: Perspectives of Patients With Heart Failure.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingPatients with heart failure described Nintendo Wii exergaming at home as fun and convenient at first, but reported playing less over time because of boredom, repetitive games, and hand-eye coordination frustrations.
• PTCohort2023Uses of Health Care System Medical Care Services by Athletes After Injury at the High School Level.The Journal of school healthAthletes from lower socioeconomic schools used more emergency department and physical therapy services after injury, even though injuries were similarly common. Ask which outside provider the family chose, because pathways may differ.
• PTRNNarrative Review2023What can we learn from the Baduanjin rehabilitation as COVID-19 treatment?: A narrative review.Nursing openIn 810 participants from 12 small Chinese studies, Baduanjin added to usual care was reported to reduce anxiety, depression, breathlessness and sleep problems, and improve activity endurance. Many also received other treatments and participants knew assignment, so this does not prove Baduanjin alone works.
• PTOTSLPRNSurvey2025Life Satisfaction and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors of Individuals According to Exercise Preferences of Outdoor and Indoor.Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.)Adults who exercised both indoors and outdoors reported significantly higher healthy lifestyle behaviors than those who chose only one setting. Life satisfaction did not differ significantly between the groups. Encouraging patients to mix exercise environments may support broader health habits.
• PTQualitative2026Dementia-Friendly Hospital-The Perspective of Professional Dementia Experts.Journal of clinical nursingExperts described a dementia-friendly hospital as seeing the person with dementia, welcoming relatives, adapting routines and environment, and making care a whole-team task. These are views, not tested outcomes.
• PTCohort2025Exploring Physical Activity Levels and Performance Among High-Intensity Transplant Athletes at the World Transplant Games.Progress in transplantation (Aliso Viejo, Calif.)Highly active transplant athletes reported and recorded much more than general guidelines and competed at speeds and heart rates similar to nontransplant cyclists. Objective app data, not self-report, was linked to race speed.
• PTOTRNSurvey2026Patient and Family Perspectives of Pressure Injury Prevention and Management in Acute Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Journal of clinical nursingMany patients and caregivers knew pressure injuries exist, but most did not hear about their risk or receive prevention resources during hospital admission. They preferred verbal information and brochures. Not hearing about risk was linked to more self-reported pressure injuries.
• PTRCT2026Recess as a Setting for Child Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Physical Activity, Motor Skills and Social-Emotional Functioning.The Journal of school healthStructured recess play did not increase children's physical activity or social-emotional functioning over a school year. Motor skills improved more in the control group than in the intervention group.
• PTMeta-Analysis2026Efficacy of cervical physical therapy on pain sensitivity in patients with migraine compared to no treatment, sham treatment or usual medical care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapyCervical physical therapy increased pain pressure thresholds in the sternocleidomastoid and frontal muscles in people with migraine. Effects were not significant in the upper trapezius, occipital, or temporal muscles. The evidence quality is very low to low, so these findings should not yet change clinical practice.
• PTOTOther2026Recovery After Nontraumatic Lower Limb Amputation: A Scoping Review of Longitudinal Research Studies.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAfter nontraumatic lower limb amputation, research mostly tracked early physical and pain outcomes. Across 85 studies, only 7 covered prosthetic training and 1 covered life-long care. This maps gaps, not treatment effects.
• PTMeta-Analysis2026Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Assessing the Effects of Focal and Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy on Pain and Function in Patellar Tendinopathy.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationFor patellar tendinopathy, shockwave therapy, sometimes with eccentric training or other exercise, reduced pain and improved function more than control. Many participants were athletes, so this is an option when usual care has not helped.
• PTOTOther2026Psychological Readiness and Kinesiophobia Are Not Associated With Effusion-Synovitis in Early Recovery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.Journal of sport rehabilitationAt 4 to 6 months after ACL reconstruction, the severity of joint inflammation seen on ultrasound did not predict a patient's fear of movement or their psychological readiness to return to sport. Patients with more swelling were just as ready to return as those with less.
• PTPilot2026Intervention to Improve Running and Physical Activity Participation in Children With Generalised Joint Hypermobility: A Feasibility Study.Child: care, health and developmentA 10-week running group was safe and feasible for eight children aged 10 to 15 with hypermobility. Attendance was high and families liked it, but this paper mainly reports feasibility, not full efficacy.
• PTQualitative2026Patient-reported knee osteoarthritis problems and rehabilitation goals: A qualitative study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPeople with painful knee osteoarthritis named problems including pain, sleep, fear, walking, hiking, sport, housework, caring, and travel. Their 3-month goals varied, often focused on walking, physical activity, daily tasks, and meaningful activities.
• PTSystematic Review2016Systematic review of published studies on aquatic exercise for balance in patients with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and hemiplegia.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAquatic exercise may improve balance short term in multiple sclerosis and after stroke, but evidence for Parkinson's disease is too limited to support it. It is not clearly better than land-based exercise.
• PTOTSystematic Review2016Effect of corticosteroid injections versus physiotherapy on pain, shoulder range of motion and shoulder function in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The South African journal of physiotherapyPhysiotherapy and steroid injections both improve pain, motion and function in subacromial impingement syndrome. Steroid injections showed a small short-term advantage in function at 6-7 weeks, but this difference disappeared by 6 months. There is no evidence that injections are superior to physiotherapy in the medium or long term.
• PTOther2016Differences in respirogram phase between taekwondo poomsae athletes and nonathletes.Journal of physical therapy scienceYoung male taekwondo poomsae athletes had a different forced breathing curve than nonathletes, with a larger inspiratory area and higher expiratory slopes. The study compares groups and does not test a treatment.
• PTOther2016Comparison of hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio between accelerating and decelerating sections during squat exercise.Journal of physical therapy scienceHamstring-to-quadriceps muscle activity ratio was higher during the slowing-down part of a squat than during the speeding-up part (0.79 vs 0.54) in nine healthy men.
• PTOther2016Advancements in Imaging Technology: Do They (or Will They) Equate to Advancements in Our Knowledge of Recovery in Whiplash?The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyNo original finding to act on. This imaging commentary for whiplash reports no methods or outcomes.
• PTSystematic Review2016Measurement properties of the upright motor control test for adults with stroke: a systematic review.Archives of physiotherapyIn adults with stroke, knee extension and knee flexion scores on the Upright Motor Control Test may help tell community walkers from household walkers. No published data showed whether different clinicians score it the same or whether it tracks change.
• PTSystematic Review2016Causative factors and rehabilitation of patellar tendinopathy: A systematic review.The South African journal of physiotherapyFor patellar tendinopathy, the review reported eccentric exercise in 10 included studies and linked risk factors to tendon overload from training load, jump technique and flexibility or strength problems, but it did not pool outcomes.
• PTOther2016Physical and balance performance following exercise induced muscle damage in male soccer players.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter repeated sprints, male soccer players had worse balance, speed, agility and jumps. Performance was worst at 24 hours and close to baseline by 72 hours.
• PTCohort2016The impact of exercise training on basal BDNF in athletic adolescents.Journal of physical therapy scienceElite adolescent table tennis players had lower resting blood levels of BDNF than inactive peers. This suggests long-term training lowers baseline BDNF, possibly reflecting efficiency rather than impairment. No significant difference was found in NGF levels.
• PTRCT2016The effects of the intake of an isotonic sports drink before orienteering competitions on skeletal muscle damage.Journal of physical therapy scienceDrinking isotonic sports drink before orienteering did not reduce most blood markers of muscle damage compared with water. Only 2-hour myoglobin was lower. Both groups showed higher blood markers after competition.
• PTOTCohort2017Hip and Lumbar Spine Physical Examination Findings in People Presenting With Low Back Pain, With or Without Lower Extremity Pain.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyMost patients with low back pain had reduced hip movement or pain during hip tests. Those with these hip findings reported worse pain and disability. Examining the hip is common in this group and may help identify contributing factors, though this study does not prove hip treatment improves back pain.
• PTOther2017Trunk Muscle Characteristics of the Multifidi, Erector Spinae, Psoas, and Quadratus Lumborum in Older Adults With and Without Chronic Low Back Pain.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyOlder adults with chronic low back pain showed more fat within the multifidus and smaller erector spinae muscles than peers without pain, with differences also varying by sex. This is an MRI comparison, not proof that exercises change these muscles.
• PTNarrative Review2017Regeneration of Skeletal Muscle After Eccentric Injury.Journal of sport rehabilitationNo original results. This narrative review summarizes muscle injury biology and common treatments. Evidence for cold, heat, NSAIDs, and platelet rich plasma in muscle strains is limited or mixed. There is nothing here to change practice.
• PTOther2016A study of isokinetic strength and laxity with and without anterior cruciate ligament injury.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 31 high school athletes with mild past ACL injury, the injured knee had lower knee flexor strength than the other knee. Extensor strength and muscle balance were not reported as different. Injured-side anterior laxity at 88 N was also lower, not higher.
• PTOther2016Preliminary reliability of the five item physical activity questionnaire.Journal of physical therapy scienceScores from a five-item leisure activity questionnaire were stable when adults answered again after 1 to 2 months. The paper did not compare the questionnaire with objective devices.
• PTCase Report2016Scoliosis in adulthood-a case with untreated early onset scoliosis presenting at the age of 76 years.Journal of physical therapy scienceA 76-year-old man with untreated early-onset scoliosis exceeding 100° maintained an active lifestyle despite severe lung restriction. He reported shortness of breath but no other major health failures, demonstrating that surgery is not universally required for survival in such cases.
• PTOther2016Effect of short-term fatigue, induced by high-intensity exercise, on the profile of the ground reaction force during single-leg anterior drop-jumps.Journal of physical therapy scienceFatigue from hard cycling shortened the time to peak landing force in male athletes. Peak force and loading rate changes were not significant. This is a landing pattern linked to fatigue, not evidence of injury prevention.
• PTSurvey2017Gender-related differences in lower limb alignment, range of joint motion, and the incidence of sports injuries in Japanese university athletes.Journal of physical therapy scienceFemale university athletes had more lower limb injury history (64.3% vs 46.1%) and foot/ankle injury (34.3% vs 20.8%), plus larger knee alignment angle, more hip internal rotation, and lower foot arch. This does not prove cause.
• PTOther2016Correlation among proprioception, muscle strength, and balance.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 24 female college students, knee position sense, force sense, quadriceps strength, and quadriceps-to-hamstring ratio were related to balance scores, but the relationships varied with knee angle.
• PTOther2017Inertial and time-of-arrival ranging sensor fusion.Gait & postureFusing inertial and ranging sensors improved pose estimation accuracy during rapid movements, but the system lost orientation tracking when movement slowed or stopped. This technology is not yet ready for clinical use as it requires fast motion to function.
• PTOTSLPOther2017Effects of visual fatigue caused by smartphones on balance function in healthy adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceSmartphone-induced visual fatigue worsened dynamic balance and movement control in healthy adults. Static balance remained unchanged. The study was small and used a short viewing time, so it does not prove that smartphone use causes balance problems in daily life.
• PTOther2016Influence of Menstrual Cycle and Oral Contraceptive Phase on Spinal Excitability.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationSpinal reflex excitability did not change across menstrual or oral contraceptive phases in 30 women, even though hormone levels changed. The study offers no support for expecting this reflex measure to shift with cycle phase.
• PTOTCohort2016Active Lifestyle Is Associated With Reduced Dyspnea and Greater Life Satisfaction in Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPlanned exercise was associated with less reported breathlessness in people with spinal cord injury. More time away from home and organized sports were linked with greater life satisfaction, but planned exercise alone was not.
• PTCase-Control2016Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Case-control Study with a Pair of Identical Twins.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdding LED therapy to the same strength training in two identical twins was associated with greater leg press and leg extension loads, larger thigh muscle volume, less soreness and smaller increases in a blood marker of muscle damage than adding placebo. Only two people.
• PTCase Report2017On-Ice Return-to-Hockey Progression After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyA single club hockey player received physical therapy, running, strengthening, slide board work, agility, neuromuscular training, on-ice skating, and bracing, then returned to her previous competitive level without re-injury by 22 months. This is expert opinion, not tested evidence.
• PTCohort2017Limb Symmetry Indexes Can Overestimate Knee Function After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyLimb symmetry tests overestimate knee recovery after ACL reconstruction. More than half of patients who passed standard symmetry criteria failed to match their pre-injury baseline. Failing to restore this baseline function was linked to a higher risk of second ACL injuries.
• PTOther2017The effects of preceding exercise on myocardial damage in rats.Journal of physical therapy scienceHigh-intensity treadmill training in rats before a long run kept heart damage blood markers lower than no preceding training. Moderate training also lowered them. This is an animal finding, not evidence for people.
• PTSurvey2017The study of elbow injury in male adult kendo players.Journal of physical therapy scienceMale adult kendo players commonly reported posterior right elbow pain. Players aged 36 and older had restricted right elbow extension, and three with pain and limited motion had posterior osteophytes or free fragments on CT.
• PTCohort2017Relationships Between Age at Menarche, Walking Gait Base of Support, and Stance Phase Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics in Adolescent Girls.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationEarlier first period was linked to a wider walking stance and inward knee bending during walking in 46 healthy adolescent girls. This may help therapists spot higher knee-injury risk, but the study did not test injuries.
• PTOther2017Shoulder pain in adolescent athletes: prevalence, associated factors and its influence on upper limb function.Brazilian journal of physical therapyShoulder pain was common among adolescent athletes, especially older teenagers and judo or handball players. Athletes with pain reported worse upper limb function and had greater internal rotation deficits and lower right external rotation.