This collection of articles contains information about synchronized swimming. Topics covered include general physiology and cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility exercises, body composition, strength training, nutrition, coach-athlete relationships, coping with competition stress and performance anxiety, and eye care. Chapters are included on…

Sports medicine represents a specific body of knowledge which can be practiced as a subspecialty by numerous members of medical society. Professional and sandlot athletes are equally deserving of competent and expedient sports medical care. (JN)

Enthusiasm for massage is increasing among professional and amateur athletes as well as recreational athletes. Most physicians, however, have been slow to endorse massage. This article discusses the benefits of massage and the program by the American Massage Therapy Association to certify massage therapists. (MT)

Background: To reduce the number of sports-related concussions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of partners and experts in the field, has developed a tool kit for high school coaches with practical, easy-to-use concussion-related information. This study explores the success of the tool kit in changing…

Discusses controversial issues that have arisen in children's sports, including infant exercise programs, trampolines, amenorrhea in the adolescent athlete, coed contact sports, and sport participation by children with Down Syndrome. Policy statements are included from the American Academy of Pediatrics. (JD)

Overtraining (OT) as a sports phenomenon can be caused by stressors on various levels (physical, emotional, psychological, and social) and evokes responses on these levels. This study evaluated research and new opportunities in the field of OT by introducing an integrated multidisciplinary approach, based on the single and multistressors approach.…

Context: Educational training programs both impart knowledge and allow students to practice skills to gain clinical competence. Objective: Understand the educational training provided to athletic training students regarding sudden death in sport beyond exertional heat stroke. Design: An exploratory, qualitative study using telephone interviews and…

This document is a collection of papers whose theme is sports safety. Section one, "Government Interest in Sports Safety," includes an article on Washington, D.C.'s focus on sports safety. Section two, "Medical Aspects of Safety in Sports," includes articles regarding the medical basis of restriction from athletics, orthopaedic restrictions, and…

This handbook, first published in 1975, is the primary educational tool used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, and is designed to assist schools in the development of safe intercollegiate athletics programs. The handbook's first section on administrative issues covers…

Over a two-year period this study evaluated the condition of 65 athletes with nerve injuries. These injuries represent the spectrum of nerve injuries likely to be encountered in sports medicine clinics. (Author/MT)

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is located behind the kneecap (patella) and connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). Stabilizing the knee joint is the primary responsibility of the ACL. Injuries that affect the ACL are three to five times more common in females than males. This is a result of anatomical, biomechanical,…

Though the risk of HIV transmission in sports is slight, physicians who treat active patients can encounter weighty legal issues. Mandatory testing, exclusion of HIV-positive athletes, and breaching of patient confidentiality can lead to lawsuits. Knowing the possible consequences can help physicians in setting effective, legal prevention…

A sports medicine survey of 119 public high schools in Alabama showed smaller schools at a disadvantage in offering health care for athletes relative to larger schools. Many schools rated the delivery and quality of medical care to the athletes as fair to very poor. (MT)

Sports-related concussions can happen to any athlete in any sport. Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur, most of which can be classified as concussions. To help coaches prevent, recognize, and better manage sports-related concussions, the Centers for…

Clinical properties of infectious mononucleosis include prolonged fatigue, spleen enlargement and fragility, and risk for spleen rupture. Sports medicine practitioners must recognize and manage these clinical features and promote safe, timely return of athletes to sports. Safeguarding against splenic injury and minimizing the duration of…