PhysioUpdate 20th September 2022

Members of an international research team have said they identified ‘strong evidence’ that spending more time being physically active and less time sitting time could help to reduce women’s risk of developing breast cancer risk.

More than 140 researchers from a range of professional backgrounds make the claim in a paper appearing online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The paper’s first author is Suzanne C Dixon-Suen, from the Cancer Epidemiology Division at the Cancer Council in Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.

Dr Dixon-Suen and her colleagues conducted a Mendelian randomisation study, a technique that uses genetic variants as proxies for a particular risk factor – in this case lifelong physical activity levels/sedentary behaviour – to obtain genetic evidence in support of a causal relationship. The team says the findings were generally consistent across all types and stages of the disease, prompting them to call for a stronger focus on exercise as a way of warding off breast cancer.

At least five physiotherapists are lined up to speak at the prestigious World Congress on Pain next week – said to be is the largest global gathering of pain professionals – taking place in Toronto, Canada, from 19-23 September.

More than 7,000 scientists, clinicians, and healthcare providers will attend the 19th World Congress on Pain, which is organised by the USA-based International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

The event takes place in the second half of 2022, which the IASP has designated as being the ‘Global Year for Translating Pain Knowledge to Practice’. The association wants to raise awareness among clinicians, scientists and the public about the growing body of knowledge in the field, and to show how this can benefit those living with pain.

A research study that was prompted by concerns about how having concussion might affect adolescents’ academic performance has been published online today (13 September) in the journal Injury Prevention.

The study, written by team based the University of Washington in Seattle, examines whether or not there is an association between having a history of concussion and high school students’ academic standing.

The team analysed data on 10,756 adolescents from the 2019 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey – a semi-annual survey that monitors health risks among students in the USA. Of the 10,000-plus high school students analysed, 14.9 per cent reported having at least one sports and activity related concussion in the past 12 months.