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 23 OF 23 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2026Dynamic balance ability during single-leg drop landing across different age groups of junior gymnasts.Journal of physical therapy scienceHigh school gymnasts landed with lower impact force, shorter balance sway, and better shock absorption than younger gymnasts. These gaps held after adjusting for training years, so maturation matters beyond practice.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Transitional care interventions and outcome measures in stroke rehabilitation: a scoping review.Disability and rehabilitationMost stroke transitional care programs center on educating patients and families, while system-level supports like care coordination are rarely built in. Only 3 of 31 measured language or communication outcomes, and 17 restricted or 4 excluded people with aphasia or cognitive-communication disorders.
• PTOther2026Differences in lower-limb alignment and muscle strength between the sexes during distance-specific single-leg hop tasks.Journal of physical therapy scienceDuring predictable forward single-leg hops, females flexed their hips more and showed lower hip and knee muscle strength than males. Knee alignment and landing force did not differ by sex.
• PTOther2026Better Dynamic Balance as a Predictor of Better Horizontal Hop Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of sports physical therapyBetter dynamic balance on the Y-Balance Test was associated with longer single-leg hop distances in 135 healthy young adults. The link held regardless of hip muscle strength level. The anterior reach direction showed no such association.
• PTRCT2026Therapeutic Effects of Capacitive and Resistive Monopolar Radiofrequency on Muscle Stiffness and Local Hemodynamics of the Rectus Femoris: A Randomized Crossover Study of Female University Soccer Players.International journal of sports physical therapyA 448-kHz radiofrequency device reduced rectus femoris stiffness in the stretched position immediately after treatment, more than a hot pack or sham. The effect was gone by 30 minutes. Deep-tissue oxygen levels stayed elevated at 30 minutes only after radiofrequency.
• PTOther2026The International Sports Physiotherapy Competencies and Standards 2025: The SportsComp Project on Higher Education to Improve Competency in Sports Physiotherapy.International journal of sports physical therapyThe 2025 update to sports physiotherapy competencies makes soft skills (communication, empathy, cultural competence) explicit requirements, reworks the anti-doping competency into a broader ethical, legal, and cultural practice standard, and adds digital health. The 11-competency structure is unchanged.
• PTOther2026Scapular Dyskinesis, Glenohumeral Internal Rotation, and Pectoralis Minor Length in Male Elite Tennis Players.International journal of sports physical therapy70.9% of shoulders in 43 elite male tennis players showed scapular dyskinesis, and higher grades tracked with less internal rotation and a shorter pectoralis minor. Cross-sectional design means this is association, not cause.
• PTOther2026Countermovement Jump and Quantitative Electroencephalography Assessment in Division I Football Athletes: An Exploratory Neurophysiological Study of Return‑to‑Play Readiness.International journal of sports physical therapyFive medically cleared football athletes with prior lower-leg injuries jumped lower, landed with less force, and showed greater movement asymmetry than five uninjured teammates. These are descriptive comparisons only. No statistical tests were performed, and the brain-activity measures used a commercial system with no validation.
• PTOther2026Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Medial Hamstrings.International journal of sports physical therapyThis is a technique guide for scanning the medial hamstrings with ultrasound. It contains no research question, no participant data, and no outcomes to report.
• PTQualitative2026Recommendations for the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Community-Based Physical Activity Programmes: A Delphi Study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceTwenty-two experts reached consensus on recommendations for including autistic children in community sports programmes: coaches need autism-specific training, sessions should run 30 to 45 minutes twice weekly, and bridging sessions should precede mainstream integration. These are expert opinions, not tested interventions.
• PTCohort2026Shoulder pain in amateur fast bowlers: A case example illustrating opportunities to embed prevention in undergraduate physiotherapy education.The South African journal of physiotherapyNine of 39 amateur fast bowlers (23%) developed shoulder pain during one season. Scapular dyskinesia, reduced internal rotation, increased external rotation, and poor scapular muscle endurance and strength were the screening measures most associated with that pain.
• PTRCT2026Effects of sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise on persistent postconcussion symptom burden and exercise intolerance: a randomized controlled trial.Physical therapyStructured aerobic exercise added to standard care did not reduce postconcussion symptoms more than standard care alone. It did improve exercise tolerance at 12 weeks. Both groups improved in symptoms, mood, and fatigue over time.
• PTOther2026Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Lateral Proximal Hamstring (Biceps Femoris).International journal of sports physical therapyThis is a scanning technique guide for imaging the biceps femoris with ultrasound. It reports no patients and no outcomes.
• PTOther2026Anthropometric and Neuromuscular Characteristics of Breakers Across Different Performance Levels: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Field-Based Study.International journal of sports physical therapyMost standard field tests (vertical jump, grip strength, balance, agility) did not separate elite from recreational breakers. Only trunk and ankle flexibility and drop-jump ground contact time showed significant group differences. Cross-sectional and exploratory, so these are associations, not proven performance drivers.
• PTCohort2026Association Between Individual Functional Movement Screen™ Tasks and Sports Injury Occurrence in University Basketball Players: A Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of sports physical therapyThe standard FMS total score did not predict injury in 85 basketball players over one year. Scoring 2 or below on the deep squat was associated with 3.47 times higher odds of injury. The hurdle step trended the same way but did not reach significance.
• PTOther2026Whole Body Kinetic Chain Muscle Activity during selected Rehabilitation Exercises in Healthy and Injured Overhead Throwing Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapyThe Advanced Throwers Ten program mostly fails to reach strengthening-level muscle activity. Only prone exercises on a stability ball hit the threshold. Core and lower limb muscles stayed below 11% of maximum effort in every exercise tested.
• PTCohort2026Normative H-Test Values in a Cohort of 113 Healthy Soccer and Track-and-Field Athletes at High Risk for Hamstring Injury.International journal of sports physical therapyIn 113 healthy soccer and track-and-field athletes, H-test values were consistent across both sports and both legs. The one small difference found fell below the threshold for a real change.
• PTNarrative Review2026Is Knee Osteoarthritis an Inevitable Consequence for Athletes after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury?International journal of sports physical therapyA position paper calling for sports physiotherapists to extend their role beyond return to sport into long-term knee health management after ACL injury. It reports no data of its own.
• PTCase Report2026Rehabilitation Utilizing Blood Flow Restriction Following Surgical Repair of a Bankart Lesion with a Buford Complex in an Elite High School Football Player: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyA 17-year-old football linebacker improved in strength, range of motion, and reported function after Bankart repair and multiple other procedures, with BFR as one part of a broader program (weeks 3–12). This is a single case with incomplete testing. It cannot show BFR works.
• PTSystematic Review2026The Effect of Duration of Supervised Rehabilitation on Outcomes Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.International journal of sports physical therapyLonger supervised rehabilitation (six months or more) was associated with better strength, performance, and return-to-sport outcomes in seven of nine studies, but the only randomised trial found no difference and every study had moderate or serious risk of bias.
• PTSystematic Review2026Morphological and Compositional Features of Lumbar Multifidus in Athletes with Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of sports physical therapyAthletes with chronic low back pain did not differ from pain-free peers in lumbar multifidus size, thickness, or fatty content. One study linked smaller multifidus to more lower-limb injuries; another linked fatty infiltration to lower return-to-sport odds.
• PTSystematic Review2026Preventative strategies for non-contact lower limb injuries among male football players: A scoping review.The South African journal of physiotherapyOf 12 injury-prevention strategies for male footballers, Nordic hamstring exercises and the FIFA 11+ warm-up had the strongest evidence for reducing non-contact lower limb injuries, while bounding exercises showed no significant effect and ankle taping's protection faded within 15 to 45 minutes.
• PTQualitative2026Between the snap and the return: a prospective narrative analysis of four voices from inside anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction recovery.Physical therapyPatients described the physical therapist as a steady, grounding presence through ACL reconstruction recovery, while their own needs shifted from early uncertainty to mid-rehab motivation dips to trust-building at return to sport. The authors suggest matching communication to each phase rather than treating rehab as one uniform process.
• PTRCT2026Is outcome observed in performance of clinical tests associated with patient-reported outcome measures after patellofemoral pain treatment? Secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyAmong 157 people with patellofemoral pain, step-up repetitions were the clinical test most strongly linked to patient-reported improvements, though the relationship was modest. Step-down showed a weaker association; squat showed none. These tests explain only part of what drives a patient's perceived change.
• PTRCT2026The Effect of In-Game Cervical Exercises on Shoulder Internal Rotation Range of Motion and External Rotator Strength in Baseball Pitchers.International journal of sports physical therapyCervical retraction exercises done between innings preserved shoulder internal rotation range of motion after a simulated pitching game (mean difference 16.1 degrees, p<0.001), but did not significantly reduce the loss of external rotator strength.
• PTRCT2026Effects of Dynamic Taping on Dynamic Balance and Proprioception in Recreational Athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability.International journal of sports physical therapyDynamic taping improved dynamic balance scores in recreational athletes with chronic ankle instability; sports taping did not. Both tapes reduced proprioceptive error equally. Effects were measured 15 minutes after application only.
• PTOther2026Associations of Markerless Motion-Based Physical Function Test Performance with Running Gait Kinetics: Application for Therapeutic Monitoring.International journal of sports physical therapySimple jump and hop tests done with a markerless camera system tracked running ground reaction forces moderately to strongly (r up to 0.882) in 62 runners. But the study measured correlation only. No one was followed for injury, and loading-rate correlations were weaker.
• PTCase-Control2026Triceps Surae Neuromuscular Activity During Single-leg Jumping Tasks in Individuals After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.International journal of sports physical therapyAt about six months post-ACLR, soleus activation during single-leg jumps was significantly lower than in healthy controls, even in athletes who had met return-to-running criteria. The operated and non-operated legs showed no difference from each other.
• PTCase Report2026Figure-of-Eight Taping Combined with Rehabilitation for Multidirectional Shoulder Instability in a School-Age Female Karate Athlete: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyA 12-year-old karate athlete with multidirectional shoulder instability improved over five months of combined exercise therapy and taping, reaching 180° of flexion and resuming competition. One patient, no control group, and taping was one of several components. No single treatment can be credited.
• PTCohort2026Isokinetic Quadriceps Strength at Slower Speeds Following ACLR More Strongly Influences Hop Test Performance in Adolescent Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapyQuadriceps strength at 60°/sec was the only isokinetic speed linked to hop test performance in adolescents about 6 months after ACL reconstruction. But it explained only 23–57% of hop performance, so strength alone is far from the whole picture.
• PTOTOther2026Fundamental Motor Skills in Children With Specific Learning Disorder.Occupational therapy internationalChildren with specific learning disorder (reading, writing, or math difficulties) have significantly weaker gross motor skills than their peers, 9 of 12 basic movement skills were less mature, but the deficit looks the same across dyslexia, dyscalculia, and mixed diagnoses.
• PTOther2026Cross cultural adaptation of the TENDINopathy severity assessment - Achilles (TENDINS-A) for Spanish speaking populations.Musculoskeletal science & practiceA Spanish version of the TENDINS-A Achilles tendinopathy questionnaire shows good reliability and validity in 90 Spanish-speaking adults, but the Pain sub-score is less reliable and it failed to distinguish patients who consider their symptoms acceptable from those who do not.
• PTRCT2026Acute Effects of an Elastic Toe-Tube Exercise on Intrinsic Foot Muscle Size and Reactive Strength in Healthy Young Men: A Randomized Crossover Study.International journal of sports physical therapyAn elastic-band toe exercise acutely increased foot muscle size and reactive jump performance more than the short-foot exercise or rest in 20 healthy young men. It could serve as a warm-up or early rehab tool, but the effect is temporary and untested in clinical populations.
• PTCase Report2026Rapid Re-activation of Functionally Inhibited Hamstring Muscles via Real-Time EMG Visual Feedback in an Asymptomatic Masters Sprinter: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyIn one 41-year-old sprinter with 20 years of hamstring activation failure, real-time EMG visual feedback produced an approximately 40-fold increase in muscle activity in a single session. One person, one session. A tool to try, not proof it works broadly.
• PTCase Report2026A Novel Dynamic Ultrasound Assessment of T-Junction Hamstring Injury during Gym-Based Exercises: A Case Report in an Elite Football Player.International journal of sports physical therapyA single elite footballer with a complete T-junction hamstring rupture was monitored with dynamic ultrasound during gym exercises and returned to play at 10 weeks without reinjury. This is one person's recovery, not evidence the assessment method works.
• PTCase Report2026Accelerated Return to Competition Following a Full-Thickness Abdominal Wall Tear in an Elite Sprinter: A Data-informed Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyA 22-year-old sprinter with a full-thickness tear of three abdominal muscles returned to competition in 28 days and set a personal best, using early trunk loading and force profiling. One athlete, one setting, not a template for all patients.
• PTCase Report2026Mixed-Nerve Silent Period Characteristics During Muscle Output Regulation in Healthy Athletes: Preliminary Findings and Comparison with a Single Postoperative Case.International journal of sports physical therapyOne athlete three months after meniscal repair showed a prolonged neural response indicating altered brain excitability on the injured side versus healthy teammates, suggesting her delayed return to running may involve central changes that standard strength and range-of-motion tests miss.
• PTOther2026Diagnostic Dilemma: Testing to Differentiate UCL Sprains From Flexor-Pronator Elbow Strains in the Overhead Athlete.International journal of sports physical therapyA clinical commentary from a sports medicine center describing how to physically examine an overhead athlete's elbow to tell a UCL sprain apart from a flexor-pronator strain. No study was conducted; it is expert opinion on examination technique.
• PTRCT2026Effects of a single bout of low-intensity isometric or moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on postexercise hypotension in adults of African and south-Asian descent: a randomized controlled crossover trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThe main 8-hour daytime blood pressure reading did not reach significance after either exercise type in either ethnic group. The 30-minute office drop after a walk is real but brief; it does not prove sustained BP control. Isometric handgrip showed no benefit.
• PTSystematic Review2026Functional rehabilitation strategies for enhancing neuromuscular control after ACL reconstruction: A systematic review.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoNine small trials suggest jump training and aquatic exercises improve muscle coordination after ACL surgery, and blood flow restriction may protect early strength. Most findings rest on a single trial, so treat these as promising, not proven.
• PTOther2026Shoulder Internal and External Rotator Strength Reliability and Validity in Healthy Adolescent Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapyHandheld dynamometry gives a usable number for shoulder internal rotator strength in teen athletes (prone or supine), but its external rotator readings are unreliable in every position tested. Do not use HHD external-rotator numbers to clear a young athlete back to throwing.
• PTRCT2026Acute Effects of Contract-Relax PNF With and Without Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Hamstring Flexibility and Jump Performance in Adolescent Soccer Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of sports physical therapyAdding motor-level electrical stimulation to a PNF stretching routine gave adolescent soccer players no more flexibility than the same routine with a placebo tingle. Neither protocol changed jump height. The evidence here does not support adding NMES for an extra flexibility boost.
• PTNarrative Review2026Return to Golf Rehabilitation Progression after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using an Evidence-Based Foundation.International journal of sports physical therapyA proposed six-phase return-to-golf framework after ACL reconstruction, built from biomechanics and rehab literature. It is not validated. The authors call for a prospective pilot study before it can guide practice.
• PTQualitative2026Patients' Mental Barriers in Rehabilitation after ACL Reconstruction: A Qualitative Interview Study.International journal of sports physical therapyNine patients 5–9 months post-ACL surgery describe readiness as a shifting process, not a fixed milestone. Their physical therapist is the main psychological anchor, yet they don't recognise that support as psychological. Ask about fear and confidence, not just strength.
• PTNarrative Review2026Adductor-Related Athletic Groin Pain: A Clinical Commentary.International journal of sports physical therapyAdductor groin pain in athletes: the Copenhagen adduction exercise is the best-evidenced prevention tool, rehabilitation must include lumbopelvic control beyond isolated strengthening, and return-to-sport clearance needs more than a single strength test.
• PTCohort2026Isokinetic Quadriceps and Hamstring Peak Torque in Athletes Aged 10-50+: Preoperative Uninvolved Limb Reference Values for ACL Reconstruction.International journal of sports physical therapyIn 321 athletes scheduled for ACL surgery, quadriceps and hamstring strength (adjusted for body weight) declined with age, but the hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio stayed stable. The widely used 3.0 Nm/kg strength target may not fit patients outside their 20s.
• PTNarrative Review2026Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Glenoid Labrum.International journal of sports physical therapyThis is a technique guide for using musculoskeletal ultrasound to look at the shoulder labrum. It describes anatomy, scanning positions, and what normal versus torn tissue looks like on screen. It reports no patient data and no outcomes.
• PTProtocol2026Utilization of the Functional Lower Extremity Evaluation (FLEE) in Return-to-Sport Rehabilitation Protocol Following Hip Arthroscopy in Collegiate Athletes: A Case Series.International journal of sports physical therapyFour college athletes who had hip surgery returned to sport at about 5.75 months with no reinjury over four years. This is a descriptive case series with no comparison group. It cannot show the functional test or the rehab protocol caused the good outcome.