Later in the month, cycling was shaken by Chris Froome’s life-threatening training crash in France, which left him with multiple severe injuries including a pericardial rupture, fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and spinal damage. His emergency treatment and subsequent recovery highlight the complexities of managing multi-system trauma in elite athletes and the crucial role of coordinated, specialist care in both the acute and rehabilitation phases.
Tennis also provided a significant talking point, as Britain’s Jack Draper announced he would end his 2025 season early due to a persistent arm injury, diagnosed as bone bruising in his serving arm. This decision, following previous shoulder and wrist setbacks, underlines the clinical and strategic challenges in managing overuse injuries in overhead sports. It also demonstrates the importance of balancing short-term performance ambitions with long-term joint preservation and functional health.
As usual, we’ve gathered key insights, articles, and updates that caught our attention last month, in case you missed them. Do let us know if there’s an event you would like us to include in the next edition, or any vacancies you might wish us to highlight.
Research, Articles and Podcasts
GENERAL
Female Health – Bringing reproductive, pelvic, and breast health to light: insights from the health of elite retired Australian female athletes survey (HER-Aus) https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/?p=11683
Iron Therapy – Can Intravenous iron therapy boost exercise performance and reduce fatigue in active women? https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2025/08/04/can-intravenous-iron-therapy-boost-exercise-performance-and-reduce-fatigue-in-active-women/
Sleep – Optimising performance through sleep: an evidence-based review https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2025/08/29/optimising-performance-through-sleep-an-evidence-based-review/
Orofacial Trauma Prevention – Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) position statemen https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/13/952
Hydration and acute psychosocial stress – Habitual fluid intake and hydration status influence cortisol reactivity https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00408.2025
Taping – The effects of rigid and elastic adhesive tape on pain in musculoskeletal and sports conditions: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/josptopen.2025.0081
Bone Healing – Revolutionising bone healing: the role of 3D models https://cellregeneration.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13619-025-00225-1
Concussion and Depressive Symptoms – Impact of physical activity and substance use in high school students https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/?p=11693
Stress Hormones in Sweat – A wearable microfluidic biosensor for dynamic profiling https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx6491
IMAGING
Talocalcaneal Coalition – https://appliedradiology.com/articles/talocalcaneal-coalition
AI and Imaging – AI‐powered smartphone application for measuring hallux valgus angle from radiographs displayed on a monitor https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jfa2.70081
AI and Imaging – Artificial intelligence‐assisted analysis of musculoskeletal imaging—A narrative review of the current state of machine learning models https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12702
Deep Learning – Quantifying pathologists’ visual patterns for whole slide image diagnosis https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60307-1
Blood-Brain Barrier – Researchers define first technical framework for using focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier https://appliedradiology.com/articles/researchers-define-first-technical-framework-for-using-focused-ultrasound-to-open-the-blood-brain-barrier
MSK
Non-Specific Neck Pain – Effect of osteopathic manipulation on neck kinematics using X-Sens motion capture: a protocol for randomised controlled trial https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/3/e002756
Rotator Cuff Tears – Biomechanical evaluation of physical examination tests: a computer simulation study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39675660/
Proximal Hamstring Tendon Repair – Older age and a non‐sporting injury mechanism are associated with re‐injury and the need for revision surgery over a minimum 2‐year follow‐up https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12767
ACL Injury Prevention – Perspectives on usability and adoption of a new programme for female handball players: a mixed methods approach https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/1/e001965
Total Knee Arthroplasty – Robotic arm-assisted total knee arthroplasty associated with improved surgical and postoperative outcomes compared with imageless computer navigation https://boneandjoint.org.uk/Article/10.1302/0301-620X.107B8.BJJ-2024-1499.R1
Total Knee Arthroplasty – Tibial implant varus >3° does not adversely affect outcomes or revision rates in functionally aligned image‐based robotic total knee arthroplasty in a minimum of 2‐year follow‐up https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12659
Robotic Total Knee Arthroplasty – Beyond the coronal plane—Part 2: Combined flexion does not affect outcomes https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12660
AI Evaluation – DeepResearch and DeepThink for anterior cruciate ligament surgery patient education: ChatGPT-4o excels in comprehensiveness, DeepSeek R1 leads in clarity and readability of orthopaedic information https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12711
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction – Comparison of blood flow restriction training rehabilitation and general rehabilitation exercise post surgey: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12527
Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation – Sustained benefits of blood flow restriction therapy: 1-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/21/bjsports-2024-109524
Septic Arthritis Post Surgey – Zero incidence of culture‐positive septic arthritis and low infection rate following ACLR with all‐soft tissue quadriceps tendon autograft: An analysis of 1053 cases https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12540
ACL Reconstruction Evaluation – How statistically fragile are randomized controlled trials comparing quadriceps tendon autografts with hamstring or bone‐patellar tendon‐bone autografts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12535
ACL Reconstruction – Higher rates of meniscal and chondral lesions in second compared with first revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions https://boneandjoint.org.uk/Article/10.1302/0301-620X.107B7.BJJ-2024-1446.R1
The SWEREX Study – Understanding Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rates in Higher-Level Athletes https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/?p=11676
RTS – Persistent isokinetic knee flexion strength deficits at the time of return to sport are not associated with a second ACL injury https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.12718
Hallux Valgus – Anatomical study of the tibialis posterior tendon’s connections to the plantar muscles and its relationship with the severity of hallux valgus https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jfa2.70074
Postural Stability – Identifying the most sensitive COP variable in static balance: the impact of chronic ankle instability https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jfa2.70072
Ankle and Hindfoot Fusions – Morselised femoral head impaction bone grafting of large defects https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10711007241310411
Venous Thromboembolism – Preventing venous thromboembolism after foot and ankle surgery: a rapid review https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/podiatry/preventing-venous-thromboembolism-after-foot-and-ankle-surgery-rapid-review
Achilles Tendinopathy – Exercise parameters to consider: a modified Delphi study with international experts https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/28/bjsports-2025-110183
CARDIOLOGY
AI-enabled Diagnosis – The next frontier of innovation in a century-old technology https://heart.bmj.com/content/110/17/1065
Bioprosthetic Heart Valve – Advancements and perspectives: a comprehensive review on biomaterial processing and emerging polymeric materials https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.043061
Cardiovascular Screening – Distinct early repolarisation patterns in male Brazilian soccer players: insights from a multicentre study https://heart.bmj.com/content/111/14/657
Understanding The Female Athletes’ Heart https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/?p=11697
2025 ESC Guidelines for the management of myocarditis and pericarditis https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf192/8234483
RESOURCE ROUND-UP
Some websites, podcasts and resources you might find useful:
SEM Around The World … South Africa – The BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine blog https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopensem/2022/03/16/sem-around-the-world-south-africa/
Time, Test, or Treatment? How to get athletes back to sport after ACL reconstruction with Dr Roula Kotsifaki. EP#573 https://bjsmbmj.podbean.com/e/time-test-or-treatment-how-to-get-athletes-back-to-sport-after-acl-reconstruction-with-dr-roula-kotsifaki-ep573/
Foam Roller & Massage Ball Vibration Effects – JSSM Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4himA1qdeJs
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
PROMISE 25 Conference – Protecting Mental Health in Sport + Exercise Conference, 20-21 September 2025, Edinburgh https://promiseconference.co.uk/
2025 International Summit on ECG Interpretation in Athletes, September 25th-26th 2025, Online https://ecgsummit.org/
ESC Digital & AI Summit 2025, Thursday, 20 November – Friday, 21 November 2025 Berlin – Germany https://www.escardio.org/Congresses-Events/ESC-Digital-AI-Summit
Annual Meeting of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial & Pericardial Diseases, 28 – 29 November 2025, Trieste. https://esc365.escardio.org/event/1891
ECOSEP 9th International Congress of Sports Medicine and Dentistry, November 2025, Düsseldorf https://ecosep.eu/ecosep-9th-congress-november-2025-dusseldorf-germany/
European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) 2025, 11 December – 13 December, Vienna https://esc365.escardio.org/EACVI-Congress
2025 ASICS SMA Conference, 9 October – 1 November, Hobart – Australia https://events.sma.org.au/2025ASICSSMAConference
Do let us know your feedback, and any suggestions you have for websites, apps or networks for inclusion in future bulletins.
DISCLAIMER: Horizons is intended as a helpful round-up for members of potentially interesting articles/opinions that have been shared online. SEMPRIS are not qualified to make/infer any clinical judgements, and the inclusion of content, events and resources does not imply endorsement.
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