Oksana Masters is a hardcore athlete. Representing Team USA in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics, she has competed in eight consecutive Paralympics, winning 24 medals across Nordic skiing, biathlon, rowing, and cycling. In this year’s Paralympics, she earned five gold medals in biathlon and Nordic skiing. But what sets her apart is her mental game. ...
You can't always see a concussion, but you can see and learn how to assess one....
Athletes require sleep to function at an optimal level, but given the demands of athletic performance, rest and recovery are often jeopardized as athletes attempt to manage the physical demands and time pressures of a busy schedule. In this context, athletes often fail to obtain adequate sleep and become sleep deprived, leading to negative outcomes for athletic performance and overall health....
Sports and physical activity provide kids physical benefits that are vital to development: improving cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and agility, all while setting kids up for healthy relationships with exercise as adults(1). But what about benefits for their mental health? In the last few years, we have become increasingly aware of the importance of mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic cast a spotlight on issues that were either caused or amplified by isolation and loss of access to our favorite activities. Youth were among the most impacted, as they adjusted to learning virtually while not having sports leagues, parks or recreational facilities(2)....
Why is physical activity so important if you have type 2 diabetes? Several studies show consistent PA can reduce the risk of the disease while also decreasing the risk of death and improving insulin resistance. Additionally, it serves as a mood booster, helps with weight loss, increases energy levels, can help with relaxation, and improves the quality of sleep....
The Female Athlete Triad--a trifecta of low energy availability, menstrual irregularities, and impaired bone health--has been well documented for the last 30 years, but there is growing evidence a similar syndrome in male athletes exists. A decline in athletic performance accompanied by low energy availability, low testosterone, and poor bone health constitutes the Male Athlete Triad (MAT)...
The COVID-19 pandemic created a barrier to sports participation and training for youth. While many of us have gotten caught up in the excitement of sports returning as states reopen nationwide, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with overly rapid return to activity....
Approximately 463 million adults are living with diabetes worldwide. By 2045, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes is projected to be 700 million. In the U.S., 34.1 million adults have diabetes, with type 2 diabetes responsible for 90-95% of these cases. Type 2 diabetes is a serious illness, but it is preventable and can be managed through a combination of a healthy diet with physical activity....
Physical activity (PA) offers numerous physical and mental benefits that can enhance more than just your fitness....
Physically active youngsters seem to have an advantage when it comes to academic achievement. They retain more information in memory to process actions and decisions. They learn, focus and manage their impulses better than others. And regions of their brains critical to mental performance appear to be larger and to connect better with one another....
Children and adolescents move, play and engage in sports in lots of different ways. They skip rope, throw balls, jog alone or compete on teams against one another—all healthy ways to be active. In recent years, researchers have begun to explore whether some of these activities are more closely linked than others to specific health benefits over time....
Children exposed to adversity are at increased risk of developing anxiety, depression and other health conditions when they become adults. As adults, their own children may be prone to similar difficulties. Experts exploring ways to break this cycle think that playing team sports may help adolescents build the resilience necessary to thwart these problems....
Muscle cramping is the bane of athletes exercising in the heat. It's a painful condition that can range from annoying to disabling. That makes it important to know how to prevent one. ...
Hydration. This site includes videos and information on hydration, including how to know if an athlete is hydrated, how much to drink and what to drink. (Korey Stringer Institute) Hydration Kit. This two-page handout lists hydration supplies, from electrolyte freezer pops to pumper-style cooling stations. The handout provides prices and links to websites where individuals or teams can purchase them. (Korey Stringer Institute) Guidelines on fluid replacement. This 2017 position stand provides evidence-based recommendations on best hydration practices for active people. (National Athletic Trainers’ Association) Nutrition and athletic performance. Guidance on food, fluids and supplements to take for peak health and performance across...
These scientific papers explore some of the research that informed The Sport Institute’s article “Movement, Play and Sports: What Are the Benefits?”...
Sports, movement and play yield abundant benefits and can enhance the physical, mental and social health of children, today and long into the future. Just about any kind of activity is beneficial, from brisk walking, cycling or pickup games to after-school training and team sports...
Some ask if there is hard evidence documenting the value of athletic trainers in high schools. Do they save lives, shorten injury time, prevent small problems from becoming big ones or help in other ways?...
Several leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Academy of Neurology and others, recommend that high schools employ athletic trainers to care for athletes and prepare for sports-related emergencies...
People ask and researchers ponder: How much does specializing in a single sport as a youngster increase the risk of developing overuse injuries?...
A concussion is an injury to the brain. Recognizing it is critical for a full recovery....
Ankle sprains routinely top the list of most common sports injuries, sidelining promising middle-schoolers and decorated pros alike...
Medical organizations representing pediatricians, sports medicine specialists and others have invested considerable energy in recent years urging young athletes to play multiple sports instead of specializing in just one. ...
Guidelines issued by several medical societies and sports governing bodies in recent years have reached an unusual level of consensus about four key elements of sports participation that seem to lessen the risk of overuse injuries and burnout in growing athletes and maximize their performance potential....
Young athletes who play more than one sport into their adolescence appear less likely to develop overuse injuries or to burnout from sports...
Mounting evidence challenges a deeply held conviction among youth sports participants that specializing in a single sport at a young age is critical to success...
Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of sudden death in exercising young athletes...
Can blood scans or imaging scans diagnose a concussion or detect recovery? What is the chance a high school or college athlete will have a concussion? Do helmets prevent concussions?...
The popularity of soccer has soared in recent decades, in part because parents perceive it to be safer than other sports. Yet it’s important to understand its risks...
In boys’ and girls’ soccer, most concussions happen during collisions between two players—not between a player and a ball—often while the players wrangle for a header in the air...
Back pain in active children and adolescents is common. But in some cases symptoms don’t improve, and the pain hangs on for weeks...
Spondylolysis is a stress fracture of a bone in the spine that can cause back pain in growing children and adolescents. If doctors find this injury early, it has an excellent chance of healing with rest...
Young athletes, parents and coaches frequently ask about safe ways to hydrate in the heat...
Deciding whether an athlete can safely return to sports—or whether sports risk too much harm—is the responsibility of a trained healthcare provider judging the individual circumstances of a particular young athlete...
Recovering from a concussion is usually just a matter of time. For most, symptoms last about a week...
Athletes don’t report concussions for a variety of reasons...
Diagnosing a concussion is challenging. Learn the immediate symptoms and signs here ...
In this compilation of stories, find out what science says about training in the summer...
Athletes can develop life-threatening exertional heat stroke (EHS) for a variety of reasons. But there is virtually no reason for EHS to occur when coaches and conditioning personnel put their players’ safety first...
Every two to three days in the U.S., a young athlete dies as the result of sudden cardiac arrest...
Cooling an overheated athlete fast can be the difference between life and death...
The following resources provide in-depth information, tips and tools on the prevention, recognition and treatment of exertional heat illness ...
Can training programs reduce anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes? If so, how big is the benefit, and which exercises help most ...
Researchers devote a lot of time and effort to developing training programs that they hope will reduce sports injuries...
Two recent guidelines from U.S. and international experts have introduced new but subtle recommendations that undercut a style of treatment for sports concussion known as “cocoon therapy” ...
Between 1.1 and 1.9 million young athletes are estimated to suffer sports-related concussions every year...
An in-depth review by an international panel of experts says it’s possible to prevent concussions in sports...
Type into a search engine the query “Will birth control prevent ACL tears?” and the first result might read, “Another reason to take the pill” ...
Research shows that taking birth control pills increases the small chance that a woman will develop a dangerous blood clot...
Any active girl or woman can develop the condition known as the female athlete triad, but some are at higher risk than others...
Left unrecognized or untreated, the female athlete triad will eventually claim your attention...
Active children and adolescents frequently develop back pain whose cause is difficult to pinpoint...
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