Wimbledon! A day in the life of an All England Club SEM Physician – BJSM trainee perspective blog

Sport and Exercise Medicine: The UK trainee perspective –A BJSM blog series By Dr. Ajai Seth Sports and Exercise Medicine Trainee, MBBS, BSc, MSc, MRCS, MRCGP, MFSEM As a life-long avid tennis fan, I was thrilled at the opportunity to spend some time with the medical team at The Championships, Wimbledon. Wimbledon is the oldest, perhaps most […]

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The Maria Sharapova drug story: What’s the evidence? Does Meldonium treat heart conditions and diabetes?

By David Nunan @DNunan79 Many have commented on the how, who, what and ethical implications following Maria Sharapova’s shock revelation of her failed drugs test. Few have looked in more depth at the why? The evidence for “why?” in this case falls in to two key areas. First is the evidence that Mildronate (or Meldonium) is indicated […]

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Tennis: Field-based fitness tests – the 7 domains every coach needs to test

By Dr. Babette Pluim (@DocPluim) At the start of the indoor tennis season, many fitness trainers and coaches use a set of ‘fitness tests’ to evaluate their junior player. What they really want to know is whether they have a new Federer amongst their pupils (talent identification), what strengths and weaknesses the player has (injury […]

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Eat, drink, and win? Diet lessons from Novak Djokovic, the 2014 Wimbledon Champion

By Dr. Babette Pluim (@DocPluim) Ever since Novak Djokovic wrote his book “Serve to Win”, a hot debate surrounds tennis players diets. Should they all eat gluten-free foods? Will that bring them instant fame and fortune? Gluten-free? In his book, Djokovic describes his diagnosis of a strong intolerance for wheat and dairy, and a mild […]

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Novak Djokovic shares his sportsmedicine secrets for success

This interview was originally published in 2013 in the Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal and is reproduced with the kind permission of Aspetar – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital.  You can subscribe for free and have the Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal delivered to your door – yes, full colour, hard copy to your door. Google ‘Aspetar […]

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Sports-Related Concussion in Youth- Improving the Science, Changing the Culture: Book review by Dr. Michael Turner

Book review by Dr. Michael Turner Sports-Related Concussion in Youth- Improving the Science, Changing the Culture (336 pages) This is essentially the 2012 Zurich Concussion Consensus process applied to research in youth sport – a great summary of the topic but not an easy read. For anyone versed in concussion the themes will be familiar: […]

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Increase in tennis injuries at the Australian Open – media hype or evidence based

 By tennis physician, Dr Babette Pluim (@DocPluim) It was an exciting Australian Open this year, with magnificent tennis, thrilling matches and sizzling heat. The end was a bit unexpected, almost an anti-climax, with Stanislaw Wawrinka seizing the title over an injured Nadal – the first man since 2009 to win a Grand Slam outside the […]

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Australian Open – Hot Tennis. To play or not to play? That is the question!

By tennis physician, Dr Babette Pluim (@DocPluim) The scorching Australian Open has stirred up debate as to how safe it is to play tennis under extreme conditions. Some claim that it is part of the game, just like wind, rain, and playing late at night and that you just have to deal with it. Prepare, […]

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Dr. Babette Pluim: Living the Olympic Dream

By Dr. Babette Pluim (@DocPluim) To work at an Olympic Games is a dream for every sport physician. So, in 2011, I applied to LOCOG as a volunteer. The minimum commitment was ten days, with an option to do both the Olympics and Paralympics. Nothing could hold me back at the interview. Yes, yes, yes, […]

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