Adding to the literature supporting the dangers of extreme weight cutting in combat sports, a recent study was published documenting various harmful effects from the practice for a mixed martial artist. In the recent study, titled Extreme Weight Making Causes Relative Energy Deficiency, Dehydration and Acute Kidney Injury in a Male Mixed Martial Arts Athlete, … More Study Documents Harmful Effects of Extreme Weight Cutting in MMA

Adding to this site’s combat sports safety study archives, a study was recently published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation suggesting that athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts that develop depression may be facing further cognitive impairments in the future. In the recent study titled The Relations Among Depression , Cognition and Brain Volume … More Study – Depression May Suggest Future Cognitive Changes for Fighters

(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