Sports Medicine - Open最新文献

{"title":"Is Non-dominant Leg a Key Factor for Endurance Performance in Male Youth Soccer Players? Data-Driven Knowledge-Adjusted Causal Analysis and Literature Synthesis.","authors":"Magdalena Mikielewicz, Kacper Korzeniewski, Robert Makuch, Jakub S Gąsior, Marcel Młyńczak","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01076-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01076-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Soccer performance in youth players arises from a complex interaction of anthropometric, physiological, technical, and maturational factors. However, most studies emphasize correlation analyses, offering limited insight into causal mechanisms that shape athletic development and physical performance. This study aimed to identify causal pathways underlying potential targets for practical intervention in male youth soccer players.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 275 male Caucasian youth soccer players aged 8-18 years from youth soccer academy (Mazovian region) were collected during the pre-season and analyzed using the Greedy Fast Causal Inference algorithm to generate a data-driven directed acyclic graph. Complementarily, a scoping review of publications indexed in PubMed and Web of Science (search conducted up to July 2025) identified 102 eligible studies on associations between parameters in apparently healthy male youth soccer players. Data from studies were used to construct a chord diagram illustrating associations among players' characteristics. This approach revealed sprint ability, countermovement jump, agility as well as maturity as central nodes in performance networks. However, causal modeling and literature synthesis highlighted the non-dominant leg and functional deficits as a potentially modifiable determinants linked to sport-specific skills and endurance-related performance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The integration of data-driven causal discovery and review-based associations offers a methodological bridge from observational evidence toward hypothesis generation. The findings establish a rationale for a future randomized controlled trial aimed at testing whether intervention focused on reducing interleg asymmetries (i.e., differences in power/strength between lower extremities) can improve endurance capacity and specific soccer skills in male youth soccer players.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13373122/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148449465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Head Acceleration Event Exposure during Pre-Season Training in Elite Men's Rugby Union.","authors":"Samuel Hudson, Gregory Roe, Matt Cross, Ben Jones, Simon Kemp, Keith Stokes","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01072-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01072-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Head acceleration event (HAE) outcomes in elite men's rugby union have been well described during matches and in-season training but have not been investigated during pre-season training.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Describe HAE incidence and magnitude during elite men's pre-season rugby union training.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Data was collected from three English PREM Rugby clubs (44 training sessions and 53 players) during field-based training sessions using instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) throughout the pre-season training period before the 2025-26 season. Training drills were recorded using routinely tagged GPS data. The incidence of HAEs was calculated per player minute, for forwards and backs, and during training sessions during the first, middle, and final three-week phases of pre-season. A negative binomial generalised linear mixed model compared playing position, and phases of pre-season, expressed as incidence rate ratios (IRR).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The magnitude of HAEs were positively skewed. The mean incidence of HAEs ≥ 5 g and ≥ 0.4 krad/s² during a pre-season training session was 0.08/min [95% CI 0.07-0.09] and equated to 5.09 ± 5.12 HAEs per player-training-session exposure. The mean incidence of HAEs ≥ 5 g and ≥ 0.4 krad/s² for forwards was 0.10/min [0.08-0.11] and equated to 5.87 ± 5.51 HAEs per player-training-session exposure, compared to 0.05/min [0.04-0.07] and 3.22 ± 3.39 HAEs per player-training-session exposure for backs (IRR = 1.84 [1.02-3.31], p = 0.041). The mean HAE incidence for forwards during the first three weeks of pre-season was lower (0.05/min [0.03-0.08]) than the middle (0.09/min [0.07-0.11]) and final (0.13/min [0.11-0.15]) three weeks. The incidence of HAEs for backs was similar in the first (0.04/min [0.02-0.06]), middle (0.06/min [0.04-0.08] and final (0.06/min [0.04-0.08]) three weeks. The incidence of HAEs during the middle (IRR = 1.55 [1.14-2.11], p = 0.005) and final (IRR = 2.82 [2.06-3.85], p < 0.001) phases of pre-season was statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The incidence and magnitude of HAEs during pre-season is very low compared to matches and similar to in-season training. Future work should identify players who accumulate more HAEs in matches and training compared to the rest of the population, and why. This study completes a holistic understanding of HAE exposure throughout a season, which can be used to benchmark individual's exposure against.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13373118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148449442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exercise Training in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-regression.","authors":"Adrián Bayonas-Ruiz, Juan R Gimeno-Blanes, Francisca M Muñoz-Franco, María Sabater-Molina, Bárbara Bonacasa","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01059-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01059-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A paradigm shift has emerged regarding exercise participation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), with recent studies suggesting that structured training may improve functional capacity and cardiopulmonary responses. However, the effects of structured exercise interventions in HCM have not been comprehensively synthesized.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The main objective was to determine the effect of exercise training on bodyweight, functional capacity, echocardiography, blood pressure, heart rate (HR), double product, and NT-proBNP in HCM patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized individualized endurance and concurrent training interventions including cardiopulmonary exercise test and echocardiographic measures in adult (≥ 18 years) obstructive and non-obstructive HCM patients were extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane in December 2025. Random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were performed, and risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I V2 tool for internal validity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 8 studies (3 RCTs) with 205 low to moderate risk patients showed that training significantly (all p < 0.05) increased [mean (95% CI)]: peak VO₂ (pVO₂) [2.3 (0.76, 3.83) mL kg^-1 min^-1], predicted pVO₂ [8.1 (2.7, 13.4) %], exercise time [1.0 (0.5, 1.5) min], peak HR [5.2 (0.04, 10.3) bpm], and HR reserve (HRR) [5.5 (2.5, 8.5) bpm]; and decreased body mass index [- 1.12 (- 2.13, - 0.11) kg m^-2], and rest HR [- 3.1 (- 5.7, - 0.4) bpm]. A lower baseline HRR was associated with broader increments in pVO₂ [1.3 (0.8, 1.9) mL kg^-1·min^-1, R² = 0.86, p < 0.05, per 10-unit decrease]. A small between-group difference in maximal wall thickness was observed in controlled data compared to usual care [- 0.9 (- 1.7,- 0.1) mm, p < 0.05, k = 3]. Other echocardiographic features, blood pressure, and NT-proBNP did not change. There were no differences between endurance and concurrent training. No adverse events were reported in these cohorts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Individualized exercise interventions in low to moderate risk HCM patients were associated with improvements in functional capacity, exercise tolerance, cardiac adaptability, and chronotropic competence. The effect of beta-blockers on HRR and subsequent functional adaptations to training warrants future research.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>Results should be interpreted cautiously due to heterogeneous study populations, predominantly mild/low-risk HCM phenotypes, the limited number of interventions, and restricted generalizability beyond individualized, guided, and mostly on-site supervised exercise settings. Trial registration The protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD420251058384. INFOGRAPHIC.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13373121/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148449501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biomechanical Profiles of Diagnosed Concussions in Rugby Union: A Case Study Using Instrumented Mouthguards.","authors":"Jonathan Ward, James Tooby, Damien Bonnet, Mickael Roumeau, Loic Louit, Patrice Halimi, Jean-Jacques Raymond, Julien Piscione, Olivier Gavarry","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01068-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01068-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This case study presents biomechanical profiles of three confirmed concussions in professional Under 21 (U21) academy rugby union players, recorded using instrumented mouthguards (iMGs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Across 34 matches (254 player matches) and 241 playing hours, 4414 head acceleration events (HAEs) were captured, with three concussions clinically diagnosed. Metrics analysed included Peak linear acceleration (PLA), Peak angular acceleration (PAA), Peak angular velocity (PAV), and angular measures: change in Peak angular velocity (ΔPAV) and Rotational Velocity Change Index (RVCI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Peak linear acceleration ranged from 27.6 to 48.4 g, PAA from 3234 to 4089 rad/s², and ΔPAV from 17.7 to 28.5 rad/s. Player #3, who lost consciousness following a high-speed head-on-head collision, recorded the highest ΔPAV (28.5 rad/s) and RVCI (27.3). Player #2, diagnosed post-match, showed the highest cumulative angular load (ΔPAV: 144.3 rad/s; PAA: 17,340 rad/s²) despite no clear concussive impact, suggesting cumulative sub-concussive exposure.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings demonstrate that concussions can result from both single high magnitude impacts and cumulative impacts. The variability in biomechanical signatures reinforces the need for multi-metric monitoring approaches rather than reliance on isolated thresholds. This study is the first in rugby to report confirmed concussions using iMGs with both peak and cumulative kinematic data. The results support the integration of angular metrics and cumulative load monitoring to understand concussion risk and management in collision sports.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13365273/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148431211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dual-Task Training Improves Shoulder Function and is Associated with Changes in Sensorimotor Network Connectivity After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Liang Chen, Zi-Hao Jia, Peng Chen","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01069-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01069-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Recovery after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is influenced by pain, proprioception, sensorimotor control, and psychological factors in addition to tissue healing. Cognitive-motor dual-task training may improve attentional allocation and motor control, but its role in postoperative ARCR rehabilitation remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial (Department of Sports Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, China; January 2025-January 2026), 72 patients after ARCR were randomly assigned to a control group or a dual-task group (n = 36 each). Both groups received conventional rehabilitation, while the dual-task group additionally performed a serial subtraction-by-3 task during motor training. The intervention started at postoperative week 6 and lasted 12 weeks, with two supervised sessions per week. Assessments were conducted at postoperative weeks 6 and 18. Primary outcomes were the Constant-Murley Score (CMS) and the β-band weighted Phase Lag Index Network-Based Statistic difference (β-ΔwPLINBS). Secondary outcomes included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Absolute Angular Error (AAE), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH), and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11 (TSK-11).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All participants completed the intervention, and baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Compared with the control group, the dual-task group showed significantly greater improvement in CMS and greater reductions in β-ΔwPLINBS, VAS, and TSK-11. Although AAE and DASH improved over time in both groups, no significant time × group interactions were found.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Cognitive-motor dual-task training added to conventional rehabilitation after ARCR may further improve shoulder function and reduce pain and kinesiophobia. It was also associated with changes in sensorimotor network connectivity. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( https://www.chictr.org.cn ), No. ChiCTR2400087465, 29/07/2024.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13365071/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148431205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Moderating Effects of Individual Characteristics and the Target Lower Limb Muscle Group on Flexibility Adaptations to Chronic Static Stretching in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.","authors":"Kensuke Oba, Shingo Matsuo, Masatoshi Nakamura, Gakuto Nakao, Taizan Fukaya, Takamasa Mizuno, Kosuke Takeuchi","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01066-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01066-1","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Static stretching is widely accessible across the lifespan and commonly prescribed to improve flexibility. However, whether flexibility improvements following chronic static stretching are moderated by participant characteristics or the targeted muscle group in lower-limb remains uncertain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;We primarily aimed to determine whether the effects of chronic static stretching on flexibility are moderated by age, sex, training status, baseline flexibility, and muscle group.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for randomized controlled trials published before June 2025 that examined the chronic effects of static stretching on lower limb flexibility outcomes (compared with non-stretching or passive control conditions) in healthy populations. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model, with effect sizes expressed as standardized mean differences corrected for small-sample bias (Hedges' g). Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential moderation by age (children and adolescents vs young vs middle-aged vs older adults), sex (male vs female), training status (athlete/trained vs recreationally active vs sedentary), baseline flexibility (with tightness vs without tightness and not reported), and muscle group (knee flexors vs knee extensors vs ankle plantar flexors). Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, and potential small-study effects were evaluated using Egger's regression test and trim-and-fill analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Seventy-nine studies (n = 3287) were included in the analysis. Chronic static stretching produced a moderate improvement in flexibility (Hedges' g = 0.851, 95% confidence interval 0.710 to 0.991; SE = 0.0718; Z = 11.845; p &lt; 0.001), with substantial heterogeneity (τ&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.249; I&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 66.1%). No significant moderating effects were observed for age, sex, training status, baseline flexibility, or target muscle group. Egger's regression test indicated potential small-study effects (p &lt; 0.001); however, trim-and-fill analysis did not impute any potentially missing studies and the adjusted pooled estimate remained unchanged. The mean PEDro score was 6.15 ± 0.90 (range 4-8), indicating moderate-to-good study quality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Chronic static stretching yielded significant, moderate improvements in lower-limb flexibility; however, substantial heterogeneity and potential small-study effects were observed. These effects did not appear to be meaningfully moderated by age, sex, baseline flexibility, training status, or target muscle group. Overall, chronic static stretching may improve lower-limb flexibility across diverse healthy individuals and target muscle groups, although the results should be interpreted cautiously given the heterogeneity, potential small-study effects, and methodological variabilit","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13356130/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Team Cognizant Action: Insights into Developing Team Synergies in Sports.","authors":"Daniel Carrilho, Henrique Lopes, Duarte Araújo","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01045-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01045-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Team cognition and collective intelligence describe how individuals in a team interact to achieve shared goals. In team sports, these concepts are crucial for understanding how players coordinate their actions in dynamic match environments. Inferential psychological approaches treat team cognition as an internal mental process and coordinated action as its execution, with limited explanation of how players continuously regulate actions to sustain collective goal-directed behavior. To address this, we propose a reconceptualization of team behavior grounded in the ecological dynamics framework called team cognizant action. We argue that coordinated action is team cognition expressed through direct perception and action couplings between teammates and the match environment. By shifting the unit of analysis to the team-environment system, defined as the interdependent relationship between players and their performance environment within a task, we offer a parsimonious and comprehensive account of team behavior. Within this system, coordination emerges from how players detect ecological information specifying opportunities for collective action. To act on such opportunities requires coordination among players' skills to achieve shared goals. Such coordinated behavior underlies team synergies which in turn operationalize team cognizant action. Consequently, to foster cognizant action, practice sessions should emphasize representative learning design to enhance shared perceptual attunement and collective movement calibration.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350600/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Home-Court Advantage and the Associations of Travel and Jet Lag with Team Performance in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).","authors":"Josh Leota, Dean J Miller, Mark É Czeisler, Jesse Cook, Luis Mascaro, Tim D Smithies, Ayden Nelthropp, Elise R Facer-Childs","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01067-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01067-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Travel-related fatigue and circadian disruption (i.e., jet lag) are well-established factors limiting performance in elite men's sport and are recognized contributors to home advantage. Yet evidence from women's professional leagues remains scarce.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study examined temporal trends in home-court advantage and assessed how cumulative travel burden and directional jet lag relate to performance in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Game location, timing, and performance data from 3489 regular season WNBA games spanning 18 seasons (2007-2024) were analyzed using mixed-effects models adjusted for game time, team and opponent strength, and season. We quantified cumulative travel distance over the preceding seven days and directional jet lag based on eastward or westward travel adjusted for circadian resynchronization.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Home-court advantage declined significantly over time (β =  - 0.67, p = .002), from 64.3% in 2009 to 52.3% in 2024, coinciding with improved league-wide travel conditions. Greater recent travel distance was associated with worse performance among away teams (β = -0.04, p = .020), primarily driven by increased points conceded (β = 0.04, p = .018). Eastward jet lag was significantly associated with worse home team performance (β = -0.15, p = .049), with no such associations observed for westward jet lag or among away teams (all p ≥ .399).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings provide the first large-scale evidence linking travel and circadian disruption to performance in the WNBA. Although home-court advantage has declined, travel-related challenges persist. Incorporating circadian principles into travel and recovery protocols may help improve performance, particularly as game schedules grow more congested with league expansion.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350567/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impact of a Single Bout of Antagonist Stretching on Agonist Muscle Performance and Range of Motion: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis.","authors":"Andreas Konrad, Konstantin Warneke, Stanislav D Siegel, Megan Squires, Ethan Lawson, Javier Gene-Morales, David G Behm","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01065-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01065-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Stretching is widely used to increase the range of motion (ROM) of a joint and has been shown to impact both stretched and non-stretched limbs.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>Given conflicting findings regarding the acute effects of antagonist muscle stretching on agonist performance (e.g., strength, power) and ROM, this meta-analysis aims to clarify these issues and identify moderating factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA 2020 and ethical publishing guidance, the protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251014186). MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to April 2025. Eligibility followed PICOS criteria: healthy participants; unloaded static, dynamic or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching of an antagonist; passive control; agonist performance or ROM outcomes; randomised or controlled pre-post trials. Risk of bias was assessed with the PEDro scale. Where > 2 studies were available, pooled effects were calculated with a robust-variance-estimation random-effects model (robumeta R package); otherwise, results were described qualitatively. Effect sizes (SMD) were interpreted as trivial (< 0.2), small (0.2-0.49), moderate (0.5-0.79) or large (≥ 0.8). Moderator, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses examined stretch duration and stretching technique. Certainty of evidence was graded with GRADE.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine eligible trials involving 302 healthy participants met the criteria. Antagonist stretching produced a trivial, non-significant improvement in agonist performance (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI - 0.10-0.56, p = 0.14; low certainty). Moderator analyses showed no influence of stretch duration per bout (< 120 s vs ≥ 120 s) or stretching type (static, dynamic, PNF). Qualitative synthesis for ROM parameters suggested weak evidence for a small agonist ROM increase. Funnel-plot inspection revealed no clear publication-bias pattern; Egger's test was not applied (< 10 studies). Findings are constrained by small sample sizes, moderate heterogeneity and predominantly fair-quality trials, yielding low overall certainty.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Current evidence indicates no clinically meaningful acute effect of antagonist stretching on agonist performance or ROM, irrespective of stretch duration or technique. Larger, high-quality trials are required to establish whether antagonist stretching offers practical benefits.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350775/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy Expenditure of Esports Athletes During Gameplay: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Jiří Kotas, Edita Krejzová, Marta Gimunová, Michal Kumstát, Craig McNulty, Petr Babula","doi":"10.1186/s40798-026-01055-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40798-026-01055-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As competitive gaming continues its global rise, understanding the energy expenditure of esports athletes is essential for evaluating both performance demands and potential health risks. Esports-defined as organised, competitive video gaming-have rapidly expanded and are increasingly recognised as a legitimate form of sport, although debates about their classification remain.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This systematic review aimed to evaluate the energy expenditure of esports athletes during gameplay and identify factors influencing metabolic responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Scopus, yielded 176 records. Studies were screened according to predefined PECO-based eligibility criteria and were critically appraised for methodological quality. The review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025644801) and follows the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five studies were included in the review. The included studies assessed energy expenditure in various esports genres, such as multiplayer online battle arena, first-person shooter, and sports simulations, and involved both amateur and professional esports athletes. Measurement methods ranged from indirect calorimetry to wearable heart rate monitors. Despite the predominantly sedentary nature of esports, findings revealed modest increases in energy expenditure and heart rate during gameplay compared to resting conditions. Notably, one study reported that amateur esports athletes expended approximately 40% more energy during competitive sessions, while another found only minimal changes in oxygen consumption among amateur esports athletes. Variation in energy expenditure was linked to player expertise, game genre, and gameplay intensity and duration. Professional esports athletes generally exhibited greater energy expenditure and more pronounced physiological responses than amateurs, suggesting that competitive pressure and cognitive demand contribute to increased metabolic output. However, considerable heterogeneity in study protocols and measurement techniques limited cross-study comparability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, the review indicates that while esports elicit a clear sympathetic nervous system response, as evidenced by elevated heart rate and stress biomarkers, the overall metabolic demands remain relatively low, consistent with light physical activity. These insights have important implications for understanding the health risks associated with prolonged sedentary behaviour in esports athletes. The review underscores the need for standardised methodologies in future research to accurately assess energy expenditure in esports and to further explore the long-term health effects of competitive gaming.</p>","PeriodicalId":21788,"journal":{"name":"Sports Medicine - Open","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13346401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148405563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}