CT scans and X-rays increase risk of cancer – changing the goal posts in sports medicine

By John Orchard and Jessica Orchard Two jaw-dropping papers from The Lancet 1 and BMJ 2 published in the past month should have a major effect on the practice of sports medicine.  They have clearly demonstrated that radiating scans in young people actually do lead to an increased risk of cancer later in life. Perhaps until […]

Read More…

Return to play decision making – Reducing clinician ‘personality bias’ with a call for objective clinical testing

Guest blog by Phil Coles (@PhilColesPhysio) Making the decision of when an athlete should return to play after an injury is one of the most challenging parts of a sports clinician’s role. This is especially so when working with professional sporting teams, where the pressures can be immense. Ideally, a clear decision making process should […]

Read More…

London 2012, the highs, the lows and……the Legacy: A UK trainee perspective

By Dr Ritan Mehta Sport and Exercise Medicine: The UK trainee perspective (A twice-monthly Guest Blog)   We have just witnessed the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.  Over 10,000 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports in a total of 39 disciplines at the London 2012 Olympic Games.  Whether you are a sport enthusiast […]

Read More…

“How does a clinician know what’s in the athlete’s best interest?” An Olympic experience

By Dr Amir Pakravan Sport and Exercise Medicine: The UK trainee perspective (A twice-monthly Guest Blog) The practice of medicine, by its very nature, is prone to ethical problems and dilemmas. This is even more evident when providing pitch-side or field of play medical care to professional athletes. Whether it is Fencing’s 10 minute or Taekwondo’s […]

Read More…

The medical student in sport and exercise medicine – Convene in London on August 18/19!

By Dr Patrick O’Halloran For the medical student focused on sport and exercise medicine (SEM), there are distinct challenges. The budding cardiologist, orthopaedic surgeon or obstetrician can easily lay hands on a plethora of specialist role models  for career/ guidance and advice, the budding “SEMer” treads a much more uncertain path. Who can I talk […]

Read More…

The Role of the Covering Doctor in Elite Sport – Lessons for aspiring SEM doctors

By Dr Jo Larkin Sport and Exercise Medicine: The UK trainee perspective (A semi-monthly series on the BJSM blog) Experience in a variety of sports settings may be considered essential to a Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) trainee’s development. In doing this I have gained significant insights into the role of the ‘covering’ Sports and Exercise […]

Read More…

Ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport brings consistency, but anti-doping debate will rumble on.

The CAS has ruled that the British Olympic Association cannot exclude dopers who have served their bans from future Olympic teams. The decision pushes Dwain Chambers back into the spotlight. He has kept a low profile over the past few months, although his agent, barrister Siza Agha, has been eloquent on his behalf: “Redemption is […]

Read More…

Cutting edge science at Mo Farah’s Oregon Training Camp

Guest Blog By Nick Smallwood Post script August 11th, 2012 – Congratulations @Mo_Farah for 5K, 10K double – delighted the world! Mo Farah knows the fine line between success and failure. At the World Athletics Championships last summer, he missed out on 10,000m gold by a quarter of a second. A few days later, he […]

Read More…