In the return of Sports Corner, Dr Olivia Abdoo chats all things UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and MMA (mixed martial arts).

UFC combines wrestling, grappling and striking, which makes for complex demands that contribute to complex injury epidemiology. Whether working with a Championship fighter or a recreational martial arts athlete, Dr Abdoo provides excellent guidance for clinicians who are planning rehabilitation and return to sport.

Concussion is common in UFC, so stay tuned for an upcoming episode with Dr Abdoo about her approach to concussion rehabilitation with UFC athletes.

Researchers are increasingly partnering with patients, clinicians and others who use research to design, conduct, report and disseminate research studies. Today we hear about a conversation that involved over 600 patients, clinicians and carers, who were supported to nominate their top priorities for research on shoulder pain.

Kristian Lyng (physiotherapst, PhD student at Aalborg University's Department of Health Science and Technology, and Center for General Practice) led the work as part of his PhD research looking at interventions for shared decision-making in collaboration with patients with subacromial pain syndrome.

Kristian discusses the challenges and opportunities in translating research to clinical practice, and the benefits to researchers of engaging patients and the public in doing musculoskeletal research.

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RESOURCES

Research priorities for atraumatic shoulder pain: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13059

Patients as partners in research - It's the right thing to do: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2019.0106

Help for researchers wanting to engage patients as research partners: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2020.0104

How to talk about compensation with patient partners: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2020.0106

Engaging patients and the public in musculoskeletal research: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2024.12668

There's a range of different interventions at your disposal when managing spine pain.

Today we're focusing on spinal manipulative therapy, and asking questions like: does it matter how you apply a manipulation to get the best outcomes for the patient?

Answering the questions is Dr Casper Nim from the University of Southern Denmark. Casper is an Associate Professor, chiropractor, and senior researcher at the Spine Centre of Southern Denmark.

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RESOURCES

Does it matter how you apply spinal manipulative therapy? Network meta-analysis: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.12707

Does targeting a specific vertebral level make a difference? Systematic review: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2023.11962

Effect on clinical outcomes when targeting spinal manipulative therapy. Randomised controlled trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32884045/

Preference randomised trials: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/josptmethods.2025.0129

JOSPT Methods journal website: https://www.jospt.org/toc/jospt-methods/current

The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the Achilles tendon captures much of our ankle attention. As JOSPT Insights listeners know, there's plenty more to the ankle than the ATFL.

Today, Liz Bayley shares her approach to diagnosing, managing and ideally, preventing ankle pain in active people. Liz covers diagnosing the problem, where imaging fits, and how to support return to function, including high-level sport.

Liz is a former professional dancer, who now works as a dance-specialist physiotherapist. Her clinic is in London's West End, in close proximity to the freelance professional and student dancers she works with, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and on 'Matilda The Musical' in Covent Garden.

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RESOURCES

Lateral ankle ligament sprains clinical practice guideline: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2021.0302

Updated model of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31162943/

Predictors of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26912285/

Intrinsic foot muscle training systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35724360/

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for foot intrinsic muscles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35142810/

Hip arthroscopy is a common surgical procedure in athletes and active people, and it's not surprising that this clinical population is focused on returning to sport. Today, Dr Matthew King, physiotherapist and Senior Lecturer from La Trobe University's Discipline of Physiotherapy in Melbourne, Australia, discussed return to sport outcomes after hip arthroscopy.

Dr King led a team that synthesised and analysed return to sport outcomes after hip arthroscopy from 45 studies and over 5000 participants. The team's focus was on sex and gender differences, and how the return to sport outcomes change with increasing time after surgery.

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RESOURCES

Are women less likely to return to sport compared to men following hip arthroscopy? A systematic review with meta-analysis: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.12813

Myofascial pain syndrome is common - affecting somewhere around 1 in every 5 people. Yet there is plenty of debate about what causes myofascial pain syndrome, how to diagnose it, and even whether myofascial pain syndrome is a primary condition.

Today, Professor Chad Cook (Duke University) discusses whether it is even possible to differentiate myofascial pain syndrome from other pain conditions, and the implications for you, the clinician.

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RESOURCES

Myofascial pain syndromes - controversies and suggestions for improving diagnosis and treatment: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13072

International Association for the Study of Pain - Myofascial pain fact sheet 14: https://www.iasp-pain.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/14.-Myofascial-Pain-Fact-Sheet-Revised-2017.pdf

Postmenopausal women can build some serious bone AND stay safe with the right instruction and the right load.

What’s the right load? Dr Belinda Beck can answer that, and in today's episode, she takes us through the

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RESOURCES

For more on the LIFTMOR trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30861219/

Clinicians appreciate the value of a trustworthy clinical practice guideline for helping guide decisions in practice.

Professor François Desmeules (University of Montréal) led an international team of shoulder experts who synthesised the latest evidence on diagnosing and non-surgically managing rotator cuff tendinopathy. Today he shares the headlines of the CPG and explains how the guideline group made sense of all the evidence to come up with recommendations for assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, including return to sport.

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RESOURCES

Rotator cuff tendinopathy diagnosis, non-surgical medical care and rehabilitation CPG: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13182

How do you approach assessing pain when you're working with athletes? What tools do you find most helpful?

Today, sports physiotherapist and researcher, Ciarán Purcell (University of Limerick, Ireland) describes the project he is leading to gather consensus from athletes and sports medicine & rehabilitation clinicians about how best to assess athletes' pain. Listen to the end to learn about how you can get involved in the consensus!

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RESOURCES

IOC consensus on managing pain in elite athletes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28827314/

Framework for assessing upper and lower limb pain in athletes: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2024.12807

Scoping review of tools for assessing pain in athletes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36759138/

To get in touch with Ciarán about the consensus project, email [email protected]

The latest update to the midportion Achilles tendinopathy Clinical Practice Guideline is hot off the presses!

Dr Ruth Chimenti is a co-author of the updated clinical practice guideline, “Achilles Pain, Stiffness, and Muscle Power Deficits: Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy Revision 2024”, and joins JOSPT Insights to share the key updates relevant for your practice.

Dr Chimenti highlights the most important changes from the last CPG update in 2018, including specifics on the best way to exercise, how to approach patient education, and which modalities to consider.

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RESOURCES

Updated Achilles CPG: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2024.0302 (no paywall)

ICON 2020: International Scientific Tendinopathy Symposium consensus on psychological outcome measures: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2022.11005

Dutch multidisciplinary guideline on Achilles tendinopathy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34187784/