BJSM Podcast

Join SASMA on World Mental Health Day 2026 as Dr James Burger speaks with Dr Bonginkosi Mafuze and Associate Professor Stephan Rabie for a discussion about suicide in athletes.

They discuss suicidal behaviours, drivers of suicide, risk assessment, and the importance of starting conversations and connecting athletes with appropriate support.

If you or someone you care about is struggling, please reach out to a healthcare professional or your local mental health support services.

Dan Bastock speaks with the major players in the formation of this new College of Sport, Exercise and Musculoskeletal Medicine (CSEM). Professor Patrick Wheeler, Dr Julia Newton and Dr Natasha Jones.

They discuss the formation of the new college and what this means for BASEM and the  Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM), and SEM in the UK.

Link to FSEM relevant webpage: https://www.fsem.ac.uk/news/update-on-continued-progress-towards-establishing-csem/

Link to BASEM relevant webpage:https://basem.co.uk/update-on-significant-milestones-achieved-to-establish-the-college-of-sport-exercise-and-musculoskeletal-medicine-csem/

Professor James Hull is joined by Dr Eric Harbour and Professor Hege Clemm to discuss the fast growing trend of “breathwork’ in athletes and whether this is a useful novel area of interest or if it is a potentially dangerous fad. 

Listen in for a lively discussion!

Info:

Please find relevant references for further information below:

Dr Eric Harbour recommends:

Breath Tools review:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.813243/full

Breath tools website:

https://www.breathtools.com/

Lancet...

In this episode, Dr. Jared Powell invites us to reflect on the mechanistic assumptions underlying exercise-based rehabilitation for musculoskeletal pain relief, based on his editorial recently published in BJSM. 

It’s a great conversation that explores questions such as: 

In this episode, we focus on brain health and the evolution of the Premier League Head Injury Protocol, which is a key priority and area of focus within  the Premier League.

Lynsey Hooper is joined first by Dr Matt Green (Head of Elite Performance), who outlines why brain health has become a central pillar of the Premier League’s player health strategy, and the breadth of activity currently underway to support players.

Following this introduction, Prof. Mark Gillett (Chief Medical Officer) and Dr Dominic Townsend (Brain Health Advisor) take us through the origins of the Hea...

In this episode, we’re joined by two of the most experienced and respected players in English football. James Milner and Steph Houghton join Lynsey Hooper in conversation.

Across more than two decades in the men’s and women’s professional game, James and Steph have lived through the evolution of elite football, where match demands have increased and a rapidly changing approach to player health and welfare has been observed.

In this conversation, they reflect candidly on life as an elite footballer, the realities of injury and recovery, changes in match load, and the import...

In this podcast Brooke talks with Katherine Wilford, who earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Exercise Science from Colorado State University (2006), her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from Boston University (2009), and her Doctor of Science from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (2023). Kat has 16 years of clinical experience working with individuals with musculoskeletal pain. Her research interests include exploring the connection between sociocultural constructs and sensorimotor control as it pertains to musculoskeletal injury risk assessment.

In this episode, we discuss how Kat and her team synthesized existing literature to shed light on how cultural beliefs, ge...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, host Dr. Devin McFadden, MD, is joined by Dr. Jesse Cook, PhD, to discuss Building a Sleep Health Plan for Athletes.

In this conversation, which was recorded during the 2025 AMSSM Annual Meeting, Dr. Cook shares more information on his main stage lecture of the same name, which focused on best practices and essential principles.

Dr. Cook is a postdoctoral fellow with a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on the intersection of sleep and mental health, with his primary program...

In this podcast we are joined by Professor Alan McCall and Dr Tara Venkatesan, We talk about how music can be used in the clinical setting to improve outcomes in performance and recovery. We get into detail about styles of music  and how they could be used in different scenarios.

Dr.Tara Venkatesan is the Senior Director of Cognitive Science Research at Universal Music Group. Her lab researches the impact of music on mental wellbeing and helps develop consumer products. She has a B.S. in Cognitive Science from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Experimental P...

In this podcast we are discussing the use of low dose radiotherapy for musculoskeletal sports injury. We are joined by two experts in the field who give insight into the relatively unknown use of this modality.

Geoff Scott is an internationally experienced Physiotherapist who has worked at the highest levels of elite sport, including over eight seasons as Head of Medicine and Performance at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. He has also held senior roles at Fulham FC and consulted across global football, Olympic sport, and the performing arts industry.

Dr Richard Shaffer is a global...

In this episode of the SASMA Podcast, Dr. Minjon Ras speaks with Dr. Izzy Moore, Joanna Perkins, and Dr. Leigh Gordon about the newly released World Rugby Guidelines on returning to rugby after pregnancy.

Together they unpack the six-phase pathway designed to support female athletes, explore the physical and mental health considerations unique to postpartum recovery, and discuss the role of coaches, medical teams, and performance staff in creating a supportive environment.

The conversation blends evidence, personal experiences, and practical advice—empowering athletes and practitioners to ensure that returning to rugby postpartum is safe, individualised, an...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, host Dr. Devin McFadden, MD, is joined by Dr. Tom Cross, MBBS, DCH, to discuss the Cross Bracing Protocol.

In this conversation, Dr. Cross discusses the following:

Dr. Tom Cross has practiced sports medicine for the past 28 years and during that time successfully completed 5 years of specialist post-graduate training in sport...

In this BJSM podcast we are joined by Margie Davenport, lead author of the 2025 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum. This podcast provides crucial insights health and exercise professionals guiding new mothers and their support network through the return to physical activity. It highlights the importance of movement, individualized recovery, and sleep hygiene, all while addressing the unique challenges of postpartum life.

Guidelines: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/8/515

More about Margie’s research lab: https://www.ksr.ualberta.ca/exerciseandpregnancy/ourLab.php

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, host Dr. Devin McFadden, MD, is joined by Dr. Irfan Asif, MD, FAMSSM, and Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, DO, FAMSSM, to discuss the multi-faceted topic of Paralympic Sports Medicine.

In this conversation, Dr. Asif and Dr. Finnoff discuss the following:

In this insightful episode, Dr Daniel Tadmor hosts two leading voices in sports medicine—Prof Jon Patricios and Dr Leigh Gordon—for a debrief on the Concussion in Sports Group (CISG) conference. The trio unpacks major updates to concussion management, emerging research themes, and the clinical implications following the Amsterdam Consensus Statement. Whether you're a clinician, researcher, or simply passionate about athlete brain health, this episode offers a sharp and accessible overview of where the field is headed.

In this episode, Dr. Roula Kotsifaki shares insights from her recent publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine titled “Is 9 months the sweet spot for male athletes to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction?” She offers numerous clinical pearls on the key factors that influence a safe return to sport following ACL reconstruction. Dr. Kotsifaki is an experienced physiotherapist and biomechanist, currently serving as Head of the Assessment Lab at Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha, Qatar. Drawing on her research findings, she discusses which tests clinicians should use, optimal timing for return to spor...

In this BJSM podcast, Dr Harvi Hart overview of the different types of body mass and body composition measurements, and they may impact common knee conditions, and what this means for clinicians, patients, and athletes. Harvi specializes in knee injuries and conditions, such as ACL injuries, patellofemoral pain, and osteoarthritis. Her research aims to develop targeted treatments that improve symptoms, mobility, and quality of life for individuals with knee conditions, using a combination of joint movement analysis, imaging, and clinical outcome measures.

Links:

Is body mass index associated with patellofemoral pain and patellofemoral osteoarthritis? A...

In this episode, Diogo Gomes interviews internationally renowned physiotherapist and researcher Dr. Alison Grimaldi for a focused discussion on gluteal tendinopathy. They explore common myths and misconceptions surrounding the condition, clarify the current evidence base, and share valuable clinical insights for effective assessment and management. With a clear and practical approach, Dr. Grimaldi offers take-home messages that clinicians can immediately apply in practice. Whether you manage this condition regularly or are looking to refine your approach, this episode is a must-listen.

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, host Dr. Jeremy Schroeder, DO, is joined by Dr. Jordan Lyons, MD, who delivered one of the Best Overall Case Presentations during the 2024 AMSSM Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD.

In this conversation, Dr. Lyons discusses his award-winning case – Collapse of a Special Operator: Exertional Illness or More Than Meets the Eye? – and shares the findings and takeaways from this crucial medical diagnosis.

Resources:

2024 AMSSM Case Podium Presentations, published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine

Exercise Collapse Associated with Sickle Cell Trait Practice Reco...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast (X: @TheAMSSM), host Dr. Jeremy Schroeder, DO, is joined by Dr. Mike Uihlein, MD, to share a glimpse into his main stage presentation about Paralympic Sideline Emergencies during the 2025 AMSSM Annual Meeting.

Dr. Uihlein is the Associate Chief of Emergency Medicine for Education and Co-Director of the Adaptive Sports Medicine Clinic at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. He also serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

He has served on teams that have claimed 11 titles...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast (X: @TheAMSSM), host Dr. Jeremy Schroeder, DO, is joined by Dr. Margie Davenport, PhD, to provide a preview of her main stage presentation about Updates to Postpartum Return to Sport during the 2025 AMSSM Annual Meeting.

Dr. Davenport is an exercise physiologist and Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. She holds the Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living and is the Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health.

Over the last decade, Dr. Davenport has worked with numerous...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast (X: @TheAMSSM), host Dr. Jeremy Schroeder, MD, is joined by Dr. Ashwin Rao, MD, to provide a preview of his main stage presentation about Microsurgical Tendon Debridement vs. Orthobiologics for Tendinopathy during the 2025 AMSSM Annual Meeting.

Dr. Rao is board certified in family medicine and sports medicine, and is a Professor in UW School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine. He is also a team physician for University of Washington Husky Athletics and a medical consultant for the Brooks Beast Middle Distance Track Club. He previously served as a...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, host Dr. Jeremy Schroeder, DO, is joined by Dr. Erin Hammer, MD, MPH, who received the Best Overall Research Award at the 2024 AMSSM Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD.

The study focused on the use of Guardian Caps and whether they were associated with a lower risk of sport-related concussion (SRC) during practices and games among high school football players.

In this conversation, Dr. Hammer discusses her award-winning research, which was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and also shares her personal advice for those...

In this podcast James Walsh talks to Chris Macdonald and Professor Daniel Leiberman they  dive into the lively discussion generated by this paper.

They discuss the reasons why exercise is not effective medicine from an evolutionary perspective, the differences between effective and efficacious interventions, and how clinicians can adapt their approach to help their patients get the most out of exercise.

Why exercise may never be effective medicine: an evolutionary perspective on the efficacy versus effectiveness of exercise in treating type 2 diabetes | British Journal of Sports Medicine

In this episode, Dr Kyle Winik is joined by Adam Weir, Hans Tol, and Rod Whiteley, all actively involved in the Sport and exercise medicine field to discuss hamstring injuries and an approach to a challenging injury in practice.

This was recorded live from the IOC 15th Advanced Team Physician Course, in Rome, Italy.

Through the episode they discuss an approach to a patient with a hamstring injury but also tackle some important questions about if there are any ways to speed up or predict an accurate return to play.”

In this episode, Dr Brooke Patterson is joined by Dr Bas Vanhooren, an applied sport scientist and strength and conditioning specialist, and a national level athlete. They discuss the BJSM Academy award winning PhD on “Innovative approaches to injury prevention and performance enhancement in running: insights from PhD research on hamstring strengthening, running biomechanics and energetics, and wearable technology”.

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2024/10/21/bjsports-2024-109159.long

This podcast forms a part of an ongoing series which aims to highlight the work of early career researchers, via the BJSM PhD Academy Awards, and in this...

In this episode Dr Kyle Winik is joined by Dr Lervasen Pillay, a Sport and Exercise Physician who has a keen interest in Exercise and Cancer.

Through the episode they discuss an approach to a patient battling cancer and try to give an approach to change the narrative that exercise can be used as a tool in cancer management.

In this podcast, we are joined by Professor Lars Engebretson. After 17 years, Lars has stepped down as the Head of Scientific Activities of the Medical and Scientific Department for the International Olympic Committee. In this episode Lars reflects on his achievements, career, and the future of sport and exercise medicine research. You can follow Professor Engebretson on Twitter/X here

New-generation running shoes are being developed with the aim of enhancing an athlete's stride length and propulsion force. But what do podiatrists think about these innovative "super shoes"?

In this podcast, Dr. Daniel Bastock explores this concept with Damir Metljak, a sports podiatrist based in Adelaide, South Australia. They discuss the biomechanical implications of these shoes, the potential for increased injury risk, and how to design the ideal orthotic to complement the unique characteristics of this footwear.

In this episode we have a chat with this year’s American Medical Society for Sports Medicine(AMSSM) Global Exchange Program to South Africa candidate Dr Emily Sweeney. Doctor Sweeney is a Pediatric Sport Medicine Physician currently practising at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver. She will also be a speaker at the biannual SASMA Conference in October later this year.

Being a previous elite level gymnast who retired at a young age due to a back injury, Doctor Sweeney has a unique perspective to gymnastic medicine. Despite retiring as an athlete she remained very involved with the...

Dr Richard Budgett has been the Medical and Science Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the last 12 years. He talks to Dr Georgia Cahill from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games about his role and reflects on how the IOC has focussed on athlete safety and health promotion as he prepares to step down in December 2024.

Respiratory health in athletes, which is the most common system affected by illness in athletes, can often be tricky to manage or approach.

This SASMA podcast delves into a very engaging and robust discussion with two very knowledgeable guests.

Dr Kyle Winik chats with Dr Marcel Jooste and Dr Carolette Cloete, who are both Sports and Exercise physicians based at SEMLI, The Sport & Exercise Medicine Lifestyle Institute, in Pretoria, South Africa, under the leadership of Prof Martin Schwellnus.

They discuss important tools or concepts to adopt in...

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast (X: @TheAMSSM), host Dr. Devin McFadden, MD, is joined by Dr. Robert Bowers, DO, PhD (X: @TheDrROBO) and Dr. Jason Zaremski, MD (X: @DrZSportsDoc) to discuss their research related to overuse throwing injuries, weighted ball throwing programs and more.

For further discussion on this topic, check out a recent AMSSM webinar facilitated by Dr. Bowers and Dr. Zaremski on The Throwing Injury Epidemic in Baseball and Softball: What Science, Data and the Experts Say, featuring an international panels of experts.

Resources:

Golf is played by over 100 million persons globally. But what injuries do they get and how can you help treat and even avoid injuries. 

Dr Corey Cunningham hosts, and is joined by Dr Andrew Murray (@docandrewmurray) to look at a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of injuries in amateur and professional golfers, 

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/11/606.abstract

and look back at some resources in the popular BJSM e-edition

https://bjsm.bmj.com/pages/e-edition-golfmedicine

In this podcast James Walsh speaks with Dr Dusty Narducci about ADHD in athletes. Dusty is one of the lead authors on the recent AMSSM ADHD position statement and is an expert in the treatment of ADHD in athletes.

They discuss the different types of ADHD, how they can manifest in athletes, treatment and the implications of stimulant medication for cardiac health and competition.

References and further reading:

https://www.docdusty.com/post/adhd-add-a-superpower-in-athletes

https://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Fulltext/2023/05000/Athletes_With_Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity.1.aspx

https://b...

Physical activity and exercise is known to be beneficial for individuals with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. This podcast is another in the BJSM and PACC series which looks to help health care professionals who are looking to have more conversations with patients about physical activity in long term conditions. 

Nusrat Kausar is a dietician who sits on the BDA specialist groups for Sports and Exercise Nutrition and Exercise in diabetes. She has a wealth of experience in discussion physical activity with this patient group and in providing education for others to do so. She joins D...

Mental Health problems are common and there is good evidence for physical activity as an important role to help prevent and treat mental health conditions. The BJSM has collaborated with the PACC programme to help develop this podcast and has invited Professor Brendon Stubbs, a global expert in this space. Brendon is a clinical-academic physiotherapist and has published more than 800 academic papers and has advised the WHO and the World Psychiatric Association. 

“The Physical Activity Clinical Champions or PACC programme is a national project delivering physical activity education to professionals working in healthcare to help get patients mor...

The Oxford Textbook of Children's Sport & Exercise Medicine released it's 4th edition in 2023. Dr. Liam West reached out on behalf of the BJSM community to the two editors, Prof. Neil Armstrong and Prof. Willem Van Mechelen, to discuss the journey that led to the 4th edition and get an insight into a few of the top tips inside the book that can help improve your clinical care for this population today!

Link to book - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/oxford-textbook-of-childrens-sport-and-exercise-medicine-9780192843968?cc=au&lang=en&

Physiotherapist and Lead AHP Physical Activity Clinical Champion Sarah Dewhurst is joined by Dr Lucy Gossage, Clinical Oncologist and co-founder of ‘Move Against Cancer.

They discuss the importance of all healthcare professionals supporting people with cancer to be active through brief interventions in clinical settings. They summarise the evidence and share top tips to overcome some of the reported challenges which can make it difficult to bring up the topic to exercise in oncology. They also highlight some helpful resources to share with patients and promote further learning.

https://www.cancercaremap.org/

https://ww...

Behaviour change theory and Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles are often an area cited by healthcare professionals as something they would like more training on. The BJSM has collaborated with the PACC programme to develop this podcast and has invited Dr Tim Anstiss, an expert in this area, to explain some key behaviour change theory and motivational interviewing concepts in this conversation. Tim is a medical doctor specialising in behaviour change and wellbeing improvement. He trained as a trainer in motivational interviewing in the mid 90’s and has trained thousands of health and care professionals, managers and coaches in Motivational In...