Sport Injury Prevention: Time for an Intervention?

Robust analysis of the literature (critical appraisal and systematic reviews) accompanied by discussion and debate ("consensus") can have a profound effect on the way we practice sport medicine. The distillation of thought that is a part of this process, as in the concussion example, can lead to clinical guidelines for the treatment of difficult problems. If these types of initiatives are multiplied by the strength of alliances between major sport medicine organizations nationally and internationally, sufficient momentum will make possible the type of advocacy and rule change seen in the isolated examples above. The study of rules governing sport is an underrepresented area of research in sport injury prevention, and this should be seen as a research opportunity requiring careful thought and deliberate attention. © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.