ESMRN research

Our research themes, projects and recent publication examples.

Research themes

  • Athlete Education
  • Athlete health
  • Biologic treatment of musculoskeletal conditions
  • Concussion prevention and education
  • Exercise referral
  • Golf, health and performance
  • Injury rehabilitation
  • Injury and illness surveillance
  • Injury risk and prevention
  • Joint replacement and physical activity
  • Longer-term consequences of injury (e.g. osteoarthritis)
  • Mental health and its impact on sport
  • Public health and sport
  • Retired athlete health
  • Role of Surgery in the management of sports injuries
  • Sport for health (e.g. Golf, health and performance)

Projects

AUKCAUS is a global collaboration across Australia, UK, Canada and the US, including: 

  • UKCCIIS IOC Research Centre
  • UK Sports Institute
  • Sport Scotland Institute of Sport
  • British Olympic Association
  • United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
  • LaTrobe (Melbourne)
  • Australian Olympic Committee
  • Canadian Olympic Committee
  • Western Ontario University

Dr Lauren Guilfoyle will be joining on a three-year post-doctoral position investigating measures of retired female Olympian health.


This project is funded by World Rugby and the Scottish Rugby Union and seeks to evaluate the introduction of the new lowered Tackle Height Law Change and its impact on reducing head related injuries in community adult male, female and youth rugby in Scotland. The project is part of a larger multi-nation study being conducted by World Rugby, as part of their efforts to reduce head contacts and the risk for concussion in this Global game.


The rate and patterns of player injury in rugby union vary between different levels of play (e.g., elite versus amateur), different ages (e.g., youth versus adult) and sex (e.g. male and female players). Despite this sports injury prevention initiatives tend to follow a one size fits all approach and are largely designed for and implemented and tested in male cohorts. The Activate programme adopted by World Rugby is presented as an injury prevention programme for all rugby players. However, while efficacy has been shown in the male context, there is currently no knowledge or evidence around its efficacy as an injury prevention programme in female rugby union players.

This two year World Rugby funded study led by the University of Edinburgh aims to determine the incidence and nature of match and training injury in national level adult women’s rugby union players across England, Scotland and Wales. Evaluating the efficacy of the World Rugby Activate injury prevention programme to reduce the burden of match and training injury, and provide recommendations regarding specific female adaptations to the Activate programme.

Principle investigators:

  • Dr Debbie Palmer (University of Edinburgh)
  • Dr Isabel Moore (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
  • Professor Keith Stokes (University of Bath; English Rugby Football Union - RFU)

Co investigators:

  • Neil Graham (Scottish Rugby Union - SRU)
  • Dr James Robson (Scottish Rugby Union - SRU)
  • John Miles (Welsh Rugby Union - WRU)
  • Dr Prav Mathema (Welsh Rugby Union - WRU)
  • Rachel Faull-Brown (English Rugby Football Union – RFU)

Policy impact work - research and combat the effects of physical inactivity, as well as challenging long-held assumptions to support more people to become more active.

Researcher: Dr Paul Kelly

Learn more about the Get Fit Without a Gym project


Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network has worked in collaboration with other leading Universities, policy makers to assess the health benefits and health issues associated with golf, and to focus on illness and injury preventions. This stream of work led by Dr Andrew Murray includes collaboration with The R&A, The World Golf Foundation, The European Tour Group, The Ladies European Tour and The International Golf Federation as well as national federations.


Sport injury, illness prevention and the protection of athlete health are key mandates for the IOC. In Games Olympian injury and illness surveillance studies capture athlete injury and illness data during a 3 week window, once every 4 years. While most retired athlete health studies are cross-sectional and limited by recall bias. The study is an international research collaboration aiming to recruit and survey a cohort of current Olympians competing in the summer and winter Olympic Games, in order to follow them longitudinally. Tracking their physical and mental health, and wellbeing throughout their Olympic careers and through into retirement.

Researchers:

  • Dr Debbie Palmer
  • Professor Dave Collins
  • Professor Lars Engebretsen
  • Dr Niall Elliott
  • Dr Gwen Fernandes
  • Dr Paul Kelly
  • Dr Torbjørn Soligard

Visit the IOC Cohort Page


Edinburgh-born collaborative project ConcussEd raises awareness about concussion and is improving how concussion education is delivered.

Researchers:

  • Dr Stephanie Adams
  • Dr Tony Turner
  • Hugh Richards
  • Professor John Sproule
  • Dr Dan Mitman
  • Dr Jonathan Hanson
  • Dr Kathryn Schneider
  • Stew Fowlie
  • Ross Simpson
  • Peter Robinson

This is a project designed to investigate the health and functional outcomes of golfers before and after hip and knee replacement. The project seeks to analyse the rates of returning to golf after joint replacement as well as the changes of joint biomechanics and golfing performance following surgery.

Researchers:

  • Dr Iain Murray
  • Dr Andrew Murray
  • Dr Patrick Robinson
  • Nick Clement

Edinburgh Orthopaedics - Sports Medicine


'SMHAT-1 Longitudinal Surveillance of Student-Athlete Mental Health Symptoms' is an international project that explores the epidemiology of elite student-athlete mental health symptoms throughout an academic year and athletic season in various sporting environments cross-culturally. The study is testing the utility of the SMHAT-1 as a digital tool for detection of symptoms and monitoring wellbeing in student-athlete populations.

Researcher: Dr Kait Simpson


Selected recent publications

Lowering the maximum legal tackle height in Scottish community women’s rugby: an injury surveillance and video analysis study across two seasons | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Lowered tackle height law variation in Scottish men’s community rugby: a video analysis evaluation of 18 702 tackles across two seasons | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Olympic Games during nationwide lockdown: sports injuries and illnesses, including COVID-19, at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics | British Journal of Sports Medicine (bmj.com)

What did we learn about elite student-athlete mental health systems from the COVID-19 pandemic? (bmj.com)

IOC Olympian Health Cohort: A study protocol for a 15-year, prospective, Olympian health study across Summer and Winter Olympic sports (bmj.com)

Injury Rates, Mechanisms, Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies in Youth Rugby Union: What’s All the Ruck-Us About? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

New sports, COVID-19 and the heat: Sports injuries and illnesses in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

Prehabilitation for recreational runners: Motivators, influencers and barriers to injury prevention strategies for running-related injury

The rate and timing of returning to golf after hip, knee or shoulder arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Population level physical activity before and during the first national COVID-19 lockdown: A nationally representative repeat cross-sectional study of 5 years of Active Lives data in England

Return-to-Sport Criteria After Upper Extremity Surgery in Athletes-A Scoping Review, Part 1: Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Stabilization Procedures

Age, personal and family history are independently associated with venous thromboembolism following acute Achilles tendon rupture

More projects and publications

For more examples of projects and publications, see our members' profiles. Access their profiles via their names on our 'People' page.

People