Maybe you've seen a cartoon character shake their head back and forth following a sharp blow -- clearing away whatever stars or birds are circling their noggins.
Turns out, that same move might help coaches and physical trainers identify a
Teenagers are increasingly turning to protein-packed bars, shakes and powders to help them add muscle to their frames, a new study shows.
Two in five parents say their teen consumed protein supplements in the past year, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S....
Depression can make it tougher for athletes to recover from a concussion, and vice versa, a new study finds.
Student athlete...
Hopping backward is a good test to see if someone’s ACL surgery has gone well, a new study says.
That backward hop is an effective way of measuring the strength of a patient’s knee function, as well as the strength of their quadriceps, researchers reported re...
Newfangled designs intended to make football helmets more protective have overlooked one key component, a new study suggests.
Participation in youth sports is becoming a “haves” versus “have-nots” situation, a new study shows.
Income, education and social class are determining who can play in youth sports leagues, with the children of more privileged families more likely...
Natural grass playing fields pose a greater concussion risk for young football players than artificial turf, a new study shows.
Many people with disabilities aren’t getting the exercise they need because fitness centers don’t offer adaptive equipment or staff trained in helping the disabled, a new review finds.
There are few efforts by most commercial gyms to promote fitness for peo...
Paris officials said Sunday they are confident the Seine will be clean enough for Olympic triathletes to swim in the storied river this week, despite the fact that officials had to cancel a practice run Sunday over worries about water quality.
The men’s triathlon ...
Bad news for Olympians headed to Paris -- high levels of ozone pollution and grass pollen are likely during the upcoming games if hot, sunny weather prevails, researchers said.
Ozone levels in Paris and its environs tend to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) recommen...
Brent Ruch, a collegiate basketball center, opted to have his left knee replaced at age 35 after struggling with pain for years.
“Walking with a limp and living with a consistent aching pain was physically and emotionally difficult. I didn’t want ...
Alix Popham played in two rugby World Cups and won a Six Nations Grand Slam before retiring in 2011 as a professional in the rough-and-tumble game.
Autopsies of deceased boxers and pro football players have long confirmed that repeat head injuries can lead to a devastating brain condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Now, research supports the notion that contact sports can also raise the odds fo...
Dropping weight prior to competition is a common practice among athletes.
But starving oneself prior to an intense athletic event is likely a wrongheaded, self-defeating practice, a new study warns.
Triathletes who ate less prior to competition lost more muscle mas...
A test used to gauge whether a college athlete has suffered a concussion is right only half the time and may be useless, new research finds.
The test used by the NCAA, which oversees college sports, measures an athlete's cognitive skills, and is one of three tests (symp...
The first all-civilian space mission is shedding light on the potential health risks facing private astronauts.
The takeaway: Short-duration spaceflights appear to pose none that are significant.
The study sample was small -- four people who spent three days in low...
Athletes who push themselves to maximum performance don't appear to pay a price when it comes to their longevity, a new study says.
Everyone knows that specific type of sports parent"the over-the-top dad or mom who curses, shouts and even becomes physically aggressive during their kid's match.
While they might think they're cheering their kid to victory, such poor sports behavior actually can turn a ...
Another broiling summer looms, along with another season of kids' summer sports.
It's a potentially harmful, even lethal combination. But experts at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) have advice for kids, parents and coaches on how to keep young athletes safe when the...
Early-onset arthritis may hit as many as one in every four young people who undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgeries, new research warns.
The arthritic pain emerges within 6 to 12 months post-surgery, according to Michigan State University (MSU) ...
Suicides among U.S. college athletes have doubled over the past two years, according to data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Suicide is now the second most common cause of death for college athletes after accidents, results show.
"Athletes...
Smacking a 100-mile-an-hour fastball or shooting down a fast-moving alien invader in a video game might involve more than fast reflexes, researchers report.
Elite gamers and pro athletes may also have a hidden vision advantage over others, a new study finds.
Some p...
Baseball season is near, and one orthopedic surgeon is warning young players and their coaches and parents about the very real danger of overuse injuries.
Kids struggling with mental health problems have a tougher time recovering from a concussion, a new study finds.
These troubled kids tend to have more emotional symptoms after
New technology might soon allow men in same-sex relationships to have a child genetically related to both dads, researchers say.
The technology uses skin cells from one person to alter the genetics of a donated egg, researchers reported March 8 in the journal
Athletes whose coaches are open, authentic and positive are more likely to have better mental health, a new study says.
Athletes feel happier and deal with problems more easily if their coaches adopt an "authentic leadership"style, researchers report in the journal <...
Rodeo riders might make it all look easy, but they're actually participating in one of the most strenuous sports around, experts say.
As such, folks participating in rodeo need to take steps to protect themselves, just as other athletes do, said
Even small increases in a man's cardio fitness can significantly reduce his risk of developing prostate cancer, researchers report.
An annual increase in aerobic fitness of 3% or more is linked to a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a report published Jan. ...
It's long been thought that it takes more time for a woman to recover from a concussion than a man.
But a new national study of U.S. college athletes refutes that notion, finding that women and men recover from sports-related head injuries at about the same pace.
R...
Teens who are active are doing their bones a lasting favor, Japanese researchers report.
"Physical exercise in adolescence affects BMD [bone mineral density] more than 50 years later in older adults," said lead researcher
Because athletes young and old can suffer cardiac arrest, some states have mandated the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in gyms, stadiums and other sports venues.
But a new study finds the use of AEDs by bystanders for cardiac arrest at athletic sit...
Games like football, soccer and rugby come to mind when thinking about sports-related concussions.
But a smashing tennis shot could cause a traumatic brain injury if the ball whacks a player's head, a new study argues.
Concussions can happen if a tennis ball travel...
The repeat head injuries suffered by football players, boxers and other athletes appear to affect brain health long after players have given up their sport.
New research from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore could explain why: The persistence in the brain of inflamm...
Playing professional football, especially if you are a lineman, may shorten your life, a new study suggests.
The University of Minnesota researchers thought that perhaps professional football players are unlike "American men in general"in ways that determine their future...
Use of steroids among high school athletes is a continuing problem, and now new research finds these youths are also more likely to suffer a concussion while they play.
Kids who get discouraged by idealized athletic bodies on social media may end up dropping out of sports, a small study suggests.
In a preliminary study of 70 kids who played -- or used to play -- sports, researchers found that some had quit because they thought they didn...
Pickleball has become wildly popular, but that may be fueling a rise in pickleball-related injuries.
"It's quickly becoming a sport of choice for adults over the age of 50,"said Dr. Brian Cole, ...
Treating shoulder pain with steroid shots or removal of cartilage buildup yields the same result as no treatment at all, a Norwegian research team reports.
They said their findings call into question treatment guidelines for calcific tendinopathy, a pain...
Former pro football players with symptoms of depression or anxiety are far more likely to receive an unverifiable diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) than players without those mental health conditions, a new study reports.
Players with depression are 9.5...
Playing sports can offer a lot of benefits for kids, but it's also important to help protect them from injuries.
Parents and coaches can make a big difference in helping kids play safely, according to Nemours Kids Health.
The medical organization suggests startin...
If mountain biking is your exercise of choice, go for it.
A new study finds that the benefits of this sport outweigh the risks, dashing a com...
The degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may be striking some at much younger ages than thought possible: New research has uncovered early signs of the condition in amateur athletes who died young after playing contact sports.
The tr...
The link between pro football and the risk for a neurodegenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is well known, and now a new study suggests that football may also up the risk for Parkinson's disease, even among past high school and college players.
...Competitive sports can be a lot of fun for kids and teens, but starting a new season requires some planning.
Nemours TeensHealth offers some suggestions for kids and teens who are taking up a new sport or beginning a new season.
Pickleball is a hot trend and it's getting folks exercising who haven't been so active in a long time.
It's also racking up injuries -- both overuse type and acute traumas -- often in those aged 50 and up.
A new poll suggests these players are forgoing care when th...
Heather Anderson, a star Australian rules football player who died last November, is the first female professional athlete to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
"She is the first female athlete diagnosed with CTE, but she will not be the last," ...
Pickleball has burst onto the scene, inspiring people of all ages to pick up a paddle.
But as with any sport, it's possible to get hurt. Some best practices can help prevent injuries, according to a sports medicine expert.
For pickleball players, the most common in...
Autopsy is currently the only way to definitively diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease often seen in athletes who've suffered repeated blows to the head.
But there may be a way to predict which athletes are likely to develop CTE, ...
After a focus on her own mental health and that of other athletes, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles will return to elite competition.
Biles will begin with the Aug. 5 U.S. Classic outside of Chicago, the Associated Pre...
Athletes using ketone supplements to boost their performance may be kidding themselves, researchers say.
The literature on the benefit of ketone supplements is mixed. Some studies have shown the supplements improve performance, but others say they have no effect or even...