Before most of the more than 12 million student athletes in the United States are allowed to kick, throw or hit a ball, they must fill out several pages of health forms, often called pre-participation evaluations. This is typically done by hand, as are injury updates, making it difficult for doctors or researchers to draw conclusions about the scale and impact of student athlete injuries. Read More

The regular physical trauma that appears to put professional football players at risk for degenerative brain disease may also increase their risk for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, researchers say. Read More

If you recently started working out to get ready for your beach vacation, you may not have considered that suddenly putting your body through all that stress and strain puts you at risk for injuring yourself. Here are a few things you can do to prevent an injury and maximize the results of your summer workouts: Read More

The NATA has published an inter-association task force consensus statement, “Recommendations for Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student Athletes with Psychological Concerns at the Secondary School Level.” According to Tim Neal, ATC, chair of the task force that developed the recommendations, the purpose of this statement is to raise awareness and provide education for the high school athletic trainer, coach, administrator, guidance counselor and parent on the prevalence of mental health issues in secondary school athletes. Read More

Like many runners, former BYU track star Katy Andrews Neves has had her share of injuries. But unlike most runners, one of those injuries has been witnessed by millions of people around the world.

In what is now one of the top sports bloopers of all time, Neves was caught on camera in 2012 crashing over the water barrier in a steeplechase race at BYU. She hit her head and got several other bruises, but was luckily spared any serious injuries. Read More

The NATA has announced the introduction of the Supporting Athletes, Families and Educators to Protect the Lives of Athletic Youth (SAFE PLAY) Act. Read More

According to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 250,000 ACL surgeries are performed annually in the United States, totaling more than $500 million in healthcare costs each year. An ACL rupture is one of the most devastating sports injuries, responsible for sidelining countless athletes for a season and derailing athletic careers. Read More

Some NFL players have been seeking out unproven stem cell therapies to help accelerate recoveries from injuries, according to a paper by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy that was published last month in the 2014 World Stem Cell Report. While most players seem to receive treatment within the United States, several who may be unaware of the risks involved have traveled abroad for therapies unavailable domestically, researchers found. Read More

Research suggests that meditation may help U.S. military personnel cope with the stresses of combat more effectively. Now, UC San Diego researchers are looking at whether strengthening the mental muscle of Olympic athletes could confer a competitive edge in the world of sports, too. Read More

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has announced its annual fitness trend forecast based on survey responses from more than 3,400 health and fitness professionals worldwide. Now in its ninth year, the survey is designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Thirty-nine potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM. The results were published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal. Read More