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New Sports Medicine research.

The strongest recent Sports Medicine papers on PubMed, ranked by study design, topic and journal, with the same summaries subscribers get.

  1. registry cohort, 3,555 patients

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings and Demographics Predict Surgical Versus Nonoperative Management of Rotator Cuff Injuries: A Natural Language Processing Analysis

    Keeley TS, Halvorson RT, Niknam K, et al. Arthroscopy. Oct 2026.

    Findings
    Full-thickness supraspinatus tears independently predicted rotator cuff surgery overall (OR 3.25; 95% CI, 2.54-4.17, P < .001) and after conservative care (OR 3.14). Conversely, female sex decreased the odds of undergoing surgery (OR 0.76).
    Bottom line
    Full-thickness supraspinatus tears strongly predict surgical intervention (OR 3.25) in rotator cuff injury.

    PubMed, PMID 42921766

  2. randomized trial, 96 patients

    Additional Functional Exercise Training Improves Knee Recovery After Meniscus Repair: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    Zhang J, Yang Z, Yang B. J Vis Exp. Oct 2026.

    Findings
    At 6 months, knee range of motion was greater with functional exercise training compared to control (134.36° ± 3.04° vs. 127.62° ± 3.66°; mean difference, 6.74°; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.37-8.10; adjusted P < 0.001).
    Bottom line
    Adding functional exercise training to conventional rehab significantly increases knee ROM by a mean of 6.74°.

    PubMed, PMID 42910733

  3. prospective cohort, 50 patients

    Diagnostic image quality of shoulder magnetic resonance imaging at 0.55T in healthy subjects and patients with rotator cuff injury: Prospective comparison with 1.5T

    Liu J, Gao Y, Gao G, et al. J Appl Clin Med Phys. Nov 2026.

    Findings
    In 50 participants, scan time was 11'25″ for 0.55T MRI versus 11'42″ for 1.5T MRI. Interobserver consistency was high (κ = 0.771‑1.000) and perfect interstudy agreement was achieved (Kappa = 1).
    Bottom line
    0.55T MRI provides comparable or better shoulder image quality with similar scan time and perfect agreement with 1.5T (Kappa = 1).

    PubMed, PMID 42900521

  4. retrospective cohort, 327 patients

    ACL Reconstruction with Peroneus Longus Tendon Autograft Does Not Compromise Ankle Function: A Retrospective Study of 327 Patients With ≥ 2-Year Follow-Up

    Patel K, Mehta N, Taraviya A, et al. Indian J Orthop. Nov 2026.

    Findings
    In 327 patients followed for an average of 42.17 months, ACL reconstruction using a peroneus longus tendon autograft caused no significant changes in donor-site ankle pain or function.
    Bottom line
    Peroneus longus tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction is a safe option with minimal donor-site ankle morbidity over an average of 42.17 months.

    PubMed, PMID 42894519

  5. prospective cohort, 40 patients

    Divergence Between Pain and Functional Recovery After Rotator Cuff Repair: A Prospective Comparative Analysis of Visual Analogue Scale, Constant-Murley Score, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index Scores

    Mishra S, Panda AN, Choudhary S, et al. Cureus. Sep 2026.

    Findings
    After rotator cuff repair, mean VAS improved from 7.85 to 1.98 at 12 months, and 82.5% of patients had no complications during follow-up.
    Bottom line
    Amount of pain relief and functional gain do not necessarily match, so recording both pain and functional scores provides a better recovery assessment.

    PubMed, PMID 42889851

  6. registry cohort, 10836

    Return to Competition and Career Sustainability After Primary ACL Reconstruction in Football: A Nationwide Cohort Study of Long-Term Participation

    Sandon A, von Essen C, Farooq A, et al. Sports Med. Oct 2026.

    Findings
    Of 10,836 players, 58.5% achieved return to competition. Among players with sufficient follow-up (n = 4749), median post-return participation was 31 matches across 3 seasons.
    Bottom line
    Return to competition is common, but long-term career sustainability is often limited, particularly at lower pre-injury levels.

    PubMed, PMID 42867625

  7. prospective cohort, 13 patients

    Restoration of shoulder kinematics during active throwing after the Latarjet procedure in anterior shoulder instability: A dynamic radiostereometric study

    Kipp JO, Petersen ET, Stilling M, et al. J Exp Orthop. Oct 2026.

    Findings
    In 13 patients with shoulder instability undergoing Latarjet procedure, post-operative humeral head shifted up to 1.1 mm posteriorly (95% CI: 0.3-1.9) and GHJ contact area increased by up to 87.0 mm2 (95% CI: 35.9-138.0).
    Bottom line
    The Latarjet procedure restores shoulder stability and joint contact area during dynamic throwing motions.

    PubMed, PMID 42861173

  8. prospective cohort, 54 patients

    Posterior root repair with high tibial osteotomy improves radiological and clinical outcomes despite greater medial meniscus extrusion: A comparison of transtibial and all-inside techniques

    Fujie Y, Yasuda K, Yabuuchi K, et al. J Exp Orthop. Oct 2026.

    Findings
    In the study, Lysholm scores improved to 96.3 ± 4.5 for the transtibial technique and 92.8 ± 8.1 for the all‑inside technique.
    Bottom line
    The transtibial method achieved a Lysholm score of 96.3 ± 4.5, compared with 92.8 ± 8.1 for the all‑inside method.

    PubMed, PMID 42903211

Summaries are written by AI from PubMed abstracts, for keeping up with the literature. Check the source before it changes care. Editorial policy · Medical disclaimer

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