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 4 OF 23 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTProtocol2019Bringing context to balance: development of a reactive balance test within the injury prevention and return to sport domain.Archives of physiotherapyNo patients were tested. The paper only describes how a reactive balance test could be built from a Y-balance test and lights, so it offers no evidence for use in sport injury or return to sport decisions.
• PTSurvey2019Retrospective survey of sport climbing injuries and self-care in the Gunma prefecture.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 113 sport climbers surveyed in Gunma prefecture, finger and wrist injuries were most common; ankle injuries were all sudden onset. Only 25.7% reported cooling down, while 88.5% warmed up.
• PTOther2019Characteristics of counter-movements in sport climbing: a comparison between experienced climbers and beginners.Journal of physical therapy scienceExperienced climbers moved their center of gravity farther horizontally than beginners and showed different joint angles, while beginners held more elbow flexion. This describes movement differences, not evidence that injury prevention was tested.
• PTOther2019An injury profile of basketball players in Accra, Ghana.The South African journal of physiotherapyTackling attempts caused 32 injuries (42.67%) and the knee had 16 injuries (21.33%) among 273 male basketball players in Accra. 64 injuries (85.33%) received no treatment, and 36 competition players and 20 training players returned immediately with pain or limping.
• PTOther2019Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of six musculoskeletal preparticipatory screening tests.The South African journal of physiotherapyOnly the one-legged hyperextension and bridge-hold tests showed substantial to excellent agreement between two physiotherapists. Several other tests were inconsistent, so screening results should not be treated as standalone evidence.
• PTOther2019Can Biomechanics Research Lead to More Effective Treatment of Low Back Pain? A Point-Counterpoint Debate.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyNo new patient outcomes are reported. This point-counterpoint debate about biomechanics and low back pain gives no treatment result to act on.
• PTOther2019Model Simulations Challenge Reductionist Research Approaches to Studying Chronic Low Back Pain.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyA computer model of chronic low back pain suggests that when more than 11 factors contribute, less than 1% of simulated patients can be grouped by one dominant factor, and treating two or more factors may be more effective at population level.
• PTCohort2019Perceived Instability Is Associated With Strength and Pain, Not Frontal Knee Laxity, in Patients With Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyIn patients scheduled for TKA, perceived instability was linked to weaker knee extensors and more pain, not frontal knee laxity. This does not show that strength training reduces giving way.
• PTPilot2019Digital Versus Conventional Rehabilitation After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Single-Center, Parallel-Group Pilot Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPatients using a digital home exercise system after hip replacement recovered mobility and hip movement faster than those receiving conventional in-person physiotherapy. The digital group had better Timed Up and Go scores at 8 weeks and 6 months, but the study was small and not randomly assigned.
• PTOther2019Velocity-specific knee strength between professional and under-17 female volleyball players.The South African journal of physiotherapyProfessional female volleyball players had greater knee extension strength than under-17 players at all tested speeds. Hamstring-quadriceps ratios were similar and below the reference balance value, and no injuries were measured.
• PTOther2019Neuroprotective Effects of Exercise on the Morphology of Somatic Motoneurons Following the Death of Neighboring Motoneurons.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn rats, wheel running after some motor neurons were killed reduced loss of dendrites in surviving motor neurons, but did not prevent motor neuron death or muscle atrophy. This is a cellular effect in rats, not evidence of improved human function.
• PTOther2019Behavior of creatine kinase in a variable resistance session.Journal of physical therapy scienceCreatine kinase rose after both the variable-resistance and no-variable-resistance sessions in six female sprinters. Back-squat variable-resistance pre-activation also improved 30-m sprint times, so the gain was not free of a muscle-damage marker increase.
• PTCase-Control2019Characteristics of plantar pressure distribution in elite male soccer players with or without history of proximal fifth metatarsal fracture: a case-control study.Journal of physical therapy scienceElite soccer players with healed proximal fifth metatarsal fractures had higher pressure under the fifth metatarsal during walking and a more angled walking pressure track than controls. The study could not tell whether these patterns came before or after injury.
• PTOther2019Changes in hip and spine movement with increasing running speed.Journal of physical therapy scienceFaster treadmill running increased upper back side bending and rotation and lower back extension and rotation, while hip flexion at toe-off fell. Only healthy female runners were tested, so it is not evidence about pain or treatment.
• PTSurvey2019Injuries associated with Japanese high-school men's volleyball: a two-year survey and analysis.Journal of physical therapy scienceHigh school male volleyball players had 68 injuries over two years. For every 1,000 hours of training or match play, there were 1.51 injuries. Ankle injuries were most common. Gradual-onset disorders were more frequent in training, and sudden trauma was more frequent during matches.
• PTCohort2020Preliminary Evidence of a Dose-Response for Continuing to Play on Recovery Time After Concussion.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationYoung athletes who kept playing after concussion had longer recovery. Playing for more than 15 minutes was linked to the longest recovery and the greatest chance of taking 21 days or more.
• PTMeta-Analysis2019Efficacy and potential determinants of exercise therapy in knee and hip osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of physical and rehabilitation medicineExercise therapy for knee or hip osteoarthritis gave moderate pain, function and physical performance gains at 8 weeks, and a small quality of life gain. Effects peaked around 2 months and faded by 9 to 18 months in some outcomes.
• PTCohort2019Comparison of Rest to Aerobic Exercise and Placebo-like Treatment of Acute Sport-Related Concussion in Male and Female Adolescents.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdolescents with sport-related concussion who did daily light aerobic exercise at a heart rate set below the point where symptoms worsened recovered in fewer days than those prescribed relative rest.
• PTCohort2020Frequency of Primary Neck Pain in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Patients.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 95 adults with mild traumatic brain injury, neck pain was common within 72 hours and at 45 days. Neck pain was often among the most severe symptoms, especially after motor vehicle crashes.
• PTSystematic Review2020Exercise and physical activity for people with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: a systematic review.Clinical rehabilitationExercise evidence for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is weak: 11 small studies could not be combined, and balance and gait changes were typically small to moderate without clear benefit.
• PTRCT2019Electromyography Evaluation of Bodyweight Exercise Progression in a Validated Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Rehabilitation Program: A Cross-Sectional Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn healthy athletes, hamstring activity did not increase from early to late phases, and late-phase hamstring activity was 26% to 45% of maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Cook hip lift reached high hamstring activity, about 64% of maximum voluntary isometric contraction in both hamstring muscles.
• PTOther2019Detection of body postures and movements in ambulatory adults with cerebral palsy: a novel and valid measure of physical behaviour.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTaped to the outer thigh, the Activ8 monitor matched video within 10% for sitting, standing, walking and bicycling in adults with cerebral palsy. It overestimated running, and pocket or frontal thigh placement was less reliable.
• PTCohort2020High-Risk Lower-Extremity Biomechanics Evaluated in Simulated Soccer-Specific Virtual Environments.Journal of sport rehabilitationIn 22 of 38 female adolescent soccer athletes, landing after a virtual soccer header showed less hip and ankle flexion than a lab jump. The paper did not test injury or treatment.
• PTPilot2019Injury Risk Factors Integrated Into Self-Guided Real-Time Biofeedback Improves High-Risk Biomechanics.Journal of sport rehabilitationPlanned tests did not show that real-time biofeedback improved squatting performance more than sham during acquisition or retention. When training blocks were averaged, real-time feedback scores were higher than sham scores, but no lasting change was found.
• PTOther2020Reliability and Validity of a New Eccentric Hamstring Strength Measurement Device.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA portable device for eccentric hamstring strength gave consistent scores across testing days and corresponded with laboratory dynamometer readings in 19 young male field-sport athletes.
• PTOther2019Development of the University of Wisconsin Running Injury and Recovery Index.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyThe 9-item UWRI helps runners describe recovery after a running injury. It is short, stable across repeat testing, and its score change tracks patients' reported improvement.
• PTCohort2019Partial medial meniscectomy leads to altered walking mechanics two years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Meniscal repair does not.Gait & postureTwo years after ACL reconstruction, athletes who also had a partial medial meniscectomy walked with smaller knee flexion angles and higher medial knee forces than those with meniscus repair or no injury. This altered mechanics may explain their higher risk of developing osteoarthritis.
• PTOTCohort2019Abnormal Joint Loading During Gait in Persons With Hip Osteoarthritis Is Associated With Symptoms and Cartilage Lesions.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyPeople with hip arthritis walked with significantly higher hip loading than controls. This extra load was linked to worse pain, daily function, and specific cartilage damage seen on MRI, suggesting gait mechanics are a target for symptom management.
• PTOther2019Distinguishing Quadriceps Tendinopathy and Patellar Tendinopathy: Semantics or Significant?The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyThe authors argue that quadriceps tendinopathy is distinct from patellar tendinopathy and should not be treated with identical protocols. They suggest loading quadriceps tendinopathy in deep knee flexion and using pain to guide exercise selection, but offer no evidence that these changes improve outcomes.
• PTCase Report2019The inclusion of vibration therapy in rehabilitating a gastrocnemius tear: a case study in master athlete.Journal of physical therapy scienceA master athlete with a 5 cm gastrocnemius tear returned to full hockey play in 28 days after a rehabilitation plan that included vibration therapy, stretching, strengthening, and running. The authors state vibration did not hinder recovery but cannot prove it sped it up.
• PTOther2020Comparison of Drop Jump and Tuck Jump Knee Joint Kinematics in Elite Male Youth Soccer Players: Implications for Injury Risk Screening.Journal of sport rehabilitationTuck jumps exposed more inward knee motion than drop jumps in 57 elite male youth soccer players. The two tests agreed only moderately, and agreement varied with growth status, so record maturity before interpreting a screening angle.
• PTOther2019Efficacies of ultrasound and a handheld dynamometer to predict one-repetition maximum.Journal of physical therapy scienceKnee-extension 1RM in healthy young adults could be predicted from body mass, sex, and ultrasound muscle thickness. A formula that also used handheld dynamometer strength produced predicted values that were not different from measured values. The formulas were not tested in older or clinical patients.
• PTOTCase Report2019Impact of combination of therapeutic exercise and psychological intervention for a patient with first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation.Journal of physical therapy scienceA young woman with first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation who chose conservative care improved shoulder function and returned to recreational badminton after phase-based exercise, the Watson program, and psychological support. This was a single case, not proof the treatment works.
• PTCase Report2019Changes in thoracic and lumbar spinal motions during running in a female with scoliosis.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn one runner with scoliosis, spinal side bending changed with stance side and speed. Right stance increased the existing curve; left stance reduced it. This is one person, not a pattern.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020Athletes With Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autograft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Were Slower to Meet Rehabilitation Milestones and Return-to-Sport Criteria Than Athletes With Hamstring Tendon Autograft or Soft Tissue Allograft : Secondary Analysis From the ACL-SPORTS Trial.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyAthletes with bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts took 1.5 to 2.5 months longer to meet rehab milestones and up to 4 months longer to return to sport than those with hamstring autografts or allografts. They also had lower quadriceps strength after training, though outcomes equalized by one year.
• PTNarrative Review2020The Role of Physical Therapists in Fighting the Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyNo new study findings are reported. This is a clinical commentary for physical therapists about type 2 diabetes. It summarizes risk, complications, and recommendations, not tested interventions.
• PTCohort2020Seasonal variation in neuromuscular control in young male soccer players.Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports MedicineYoung elite male soccer players jumped farther over a season, but single leg landing forces rose and knee alignment during landing did not consistently improve. No injuries were tracked, so this describes change, not proven risk.
• PTOTCase-Control2020Assessment of bilateral motor skills and visuospatial attention in children with perinatal stroke using a robotic object hitting task.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with perinatal stroke hit fewer balls than peers with both hands, especially after arterial ischemic stroke. The unaffected hand also showed fewer hits, and attention test scores related to performance.
• PTNarrative Review2020The exoskeleton expansion: improving walking and running economy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationLab exoskeletons in 23 studies lowered walking or running energy cost versus no device, by 3.3% to 19.8% for walking and 3.9% to 8.0% for running. The review selected only studies that reported improvement, so it does not show patient benefit.
• PTSurvey2019Athletes' expectations about physiotherapy in sports injury rehabilitation in greater Accra region.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAthletes in Greater Accra expected physiotherapists to be directive, genuine and nurturing, with directiveness rated 6.11 on a 7-point agreement scale. The paper suggests physiotherapists explain injury causes and rehab outcomes.
• PTCohort2020Hip Kinematics During Single-Leg Tasks in People With and Without Hip-Related Groin Pain and the Association Among Kinematics, Hip Muscle Strength, and Bony Morphology.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyPeople with hip-related groin pain used smaller hip flexion and shallower single-leg squat than matched pain-free adults, but hip adduction/rotation and step-down movement did not differ. Weaker hip abductors were linked to smaller hip flexion in the pain group.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Female adolescents demonstrate greater oculomotor and vestibular dysfunction than male adolescents following concussion.Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports MedicineFemale adolescents tested within three weeks of a sports concussion were more likely to fail near point of convergence and tandem gait tests than males. No sex differences were found on static balance or gaze stability. These specific deficits may guide early vestibular rehab referral.
• PTCohort2020In-clinic event related potentials after sports concussion: A 4-year study.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineAfter sports concussion, a simple brain-wave test was different from baseline even after reaction time and thinking tests returned to normal. The findings suggest lingering brain activity changes, not a proven standalone return-to-play test.
• PTOther2020Effectiveness of a Home-Based Rehabilitation Program After Total Hip Arthroplasty Driven by a Tablet App and Remote Coaching: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial Combining a Single-Arm Intervention Cohort With Historical Controls.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesFor 15 patients after hip replacement, a 12-week home exercise program using a tablet app, weekly physiotherapist calls, and three home visits was associated with faster walking and sit-to-stand than usual care; overall patient-reported scores were slightly higher but not clearly better.
• PTSurvey2020Fact-finding survey regarding judo-related injuries of judokas in developing country.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong Mongolian youth judokas, 39% reported current injuries and 25% reported past injuries. Shoulder and ankle injuries were most common, primarily resulting from throwing techniques. This descriptive survey identifies injury patterns but does not test interventions.
• PTOther2020Differential Effects of Acute and Multiple Concussions on Gait Initiation Performance.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAthletes with three or more prior concussions showed reduced gait initiation displacement and velocity compared to healthy controls, despite passing standard clinical concussion tests. This suggests subtle postural control deficits persist after multiple concussions, though the clinical impact is unknown.
• PTOther2020Rehabilitation approaches to anterior knee pain among runners: A scoping review.The South African journal of physiotherapyRunner anterior knee pain non-surgical rehabilitation literature centres on education, gait retraining, hip exercises, foot orthoses and multimodal programmes. It maps these approaches but does not establish which works best.
• PTRCT2020Effect of plyometric training on the fascicle length of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle.Journal of physical therapy scienceEccentric calf raises increased medial gastrocnemius fascicle length by week 6 in healthy adults; normal calf raises did not. Dorsiflexion angle and muscle thickness also rose. This is a muscle structure change, not proven performance or injury benefit.
• PTOther2020Local Anesthetic Injection Resolves Movement Pain, Motor Dysfunction, and Pain Catastrophizing in Individuals With Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyIn chronic Achilles tendinopathy, a local anesthetic injection immediately reduced movement pain, improved heel-raise performance to control levels, and lowered pain catastrophizing, but fear of movement stayed elevated.
• PTOther2020Extended Version of a Test Battery for Visual Assessment of Postural Orientation Errors: Face Validity, Internal Consistency, and Reliability.Physical therapyAn extended visual test battery for postural errors in late-stage ACL rehab showed good consistency and reliability. It adds a side-hop task and two knee-specific observations, allowing therapists to assess lower-limb alignment during jumping and daily movements more comprehensively.