Muscles, Joints, Ligaments & Bones

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries do not disproportionately affect female athletes, occur more often from player-to-player contact, and far more frequently in competition than practice than previously believed, finds a surprising and important new study.

Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections have emerged in recent years as a treatment for a variety of sports injuries, but there are few studies reporting on its effectiveness of PRP. Two top sports medicine physicians debate the hottest topic in orthopedics.

In recent years, platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections have been used to treat a variety of sports injuries, ranging from severe tendonitis to muscle tears, but there is an ongoing debate among sports medicine doctors as to its effectiveness, especially given its cost. We explore both sides of the controversy.

If you are parenting a female athlete, you may have a tough time convincing her to take your advice, even if you enjoyed a successful sports career yourself. Perhaps she will listen to an orthopedic surgeon for a major league baseball team who, before she became a doctor, was a triple jump champion and record-holder in high school track in Iowa.

Achy feet are a common problem, especially among athletes and anyone who spends a lot of time on their toes. However, there is a fine line between tired feet and a minor injury, and it is important to recognize when an injury has occurred in order to avoid aggravating the problem.

Pitching from a mound causes increased stress on the shoulder and elbow of adolescent pitchers as compared with that from flat ground finds a new study, which recommends that pitchers begin their season or return from injury or surgery by starting their pitching progression on flat ground before progressing to the mound.

While ankle sprains remain one of the most common injuries in sports, accounting for more than 45 percent of all athletic injuries according to some estimates, they are not all alike, so it is important that each patient have an individualized treatment plan, recommends a new position statement from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA). 

Ankle sprains are the most common single injury in high school sports, accounting for one in six of all high school sports-related injuries, finds a new study.

When people think of back pain in athletes, they mosty think of pain in the neck or lower back. As a result, the middle part of the spine, called the thoracic spine, is commonly overlooked. But just as other regions of the back, the mid-spine can negatively impact a young athlete's performance and risk of injury.

The winter sports season is in full swing, and spring sports are a ways off, but safety comes first, no matter what the sport or the season. Here's a sixteen-point safety checklist to keep athletes in the game.