(Image via Wikimedia) ____________________________ Update March 30, 2019 – This month a critical reply was published arguing the below conclusions lack supporting literature.  ____________________________ Last year a study was published discussing the risk of Vertebral Artery Dissection from chokeholds in combative sports.  A more recent case study was published suggesting that in addition to this, … More Case Study – Frequent Chokes in MMA Concerning for Cognitive Impairment

Adding to this site’s combat sports safety studies, a recent study was published seeking to identify non-invasive biomarkers which can help diagnose mild traumatic brain injury in athletes. In the study, titled “Comparison of Serum and Saliva miRNA’s for Identification and Characterization of mTBI in Adult Mixed Martial Arts Fighters” the authors recruited 50 amateur MMA fighters … More Saliva and Serum Biomarkers Show “Robust” Promise in Identifying Mild Brain Injury in MMA Fighters

Adding to this site’s combat sports safety studies, a recent study was published in South Africa reviewing the rate of whiplash associated disorders in Mixed Martial Arts. In the recent study, titled Prevalence and Severity of Whiplash Associated Disorders in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes, the authors evaluated seventeen MMA athletes looking for intensity of neck pain, … More Study Finds High Rate of Whiplash Disorders in MMA Athletes

Adding to this site’s combat sports safety study summaries, research was recently published in the Journal Acta Neuropathologica suggesting genetic factors may play a role in severity of CTE.  Of note the study does not suggest that genetics cause CTE with Dr. Thor D. Stein, one of the study’s authors, telling the Boston Globe “environmental … More Study – Genetic Factors May Play Role in CTE Severity

An interesting study was recently published revisiting earlier data from the 1970’s with a modern understanding of CTE. In the earlier study, titled The Aftermath of Boxing, researchers published results in 1973 which noted a variety of neuropathological changes in retired boxers.  Brain tissue samples remained available from the initial participants and in a new … More Study – The Aftermath of Boxing Revisited – Yes, Its a high likelihood of CTE

Adding to this site’s archives of combative sports safety studies, a study was recently published in the Journal of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists shedding more light on the physical compromises associated with rapid extreme weight cutting in combat sports. In the recent article, titled “Physiological Function is Not Fully Regained With 24 Hours of Rapid … More Study – MMA Fighters Remain Compromised 24 Hours After Rapid Extreme Weight Cuts

Adding to this site’s archives of combative sports safety studies, a study was recently published in the Journal of Neurotrauma suggesting that retired combat sports athletes should be screened for hypopituitarism as “traumatic brain injury induced pituitary dysfunction occurs more frequently than previously estimated“. The full study is titled Sports Related Repetitive Head Trauma: A Novel … More Study – Retired Fighters Should Be Screened For Hypopituitarism

Adding to this site’s archives of combative sports safety studies, a study was recently published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine noting that more cases of mild traumatic brain injury were noted from participation in wrestling than in boxing or other martial arts. In the recent study, titled “Incidence of Combat Sport-Related Mild Traumatic … More Study – More Head Injuries Documented From Wrestling than Boxing and Martial Arts

Adding to this site’s database of combative sports safety studies, a paper was recently published comparing the extent of hand/wrist injuries for MMA athletes compared to boxers. In the study, titled “Degenerative changes in the hand and wrist in elite MMA fighting – an MRI study in comparison to boxing” 11 MMA fighters and 10 … More Study – MMA Fighters Sustain Worse Wrist/Hand Damage than Boxers