2018 was another great year for Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR) as we continued to publish timely, peer-reviewed, clinically relevant information that is useful for busy sports medicine and primary care providers. The journal saw two big changes in 2018; 1) it went from publishing bimonthly (six issues annually) to publishing monthly (12 issues annually) and 2) Shawn F. Kane, MD, FACSM, assumed the role of editor-in-chief from William O. Roberts, MD, MS, FACSM, who led the journal for eight strong years. Each edition of CSMR contains a combination of section articles and case reports from one of our 12 topical sections, a special communication, an invited commentary that covers a variety of emerging and interesting topics, and a few rotating columns. Five times per year CSMR highlights sports medicine clinicians who are involved in the journal and the college. 2018 also marked the second year of our partnership with the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), helping CSMR expand its international focus on sports medicine.

The most frequently viewed article in 2018 was “Exercise is Medicine for Concussion,” written by John J. Leddy, MD, et al. and covered the emerging role for sub-maximal exercise in the treatment of concussions. For years the standard of care for a patient with a concussion could be described as cocoon therapy with the patient staying in a dark room and not exerting themselves until they were totally asymptomatic and had recovered. Dr. Leddy and his team have challenged this dogma and through multiple studies have shown that sub-maximal is highly beneficial in the recovery of concussions. 

The article most accessed through the journal website was “Energy Drinks:  A Contemporary Issues Paper,” written by John P. Higgins, MD, MBA, M.PHIL, FACSM; Kavita Babu, MD; Patricia A. Deuster, PhD, MPH, FACSM; and Jane Shearer, PhD. The consumption of energy drinks continues to rise, and we are learning more and more about their potentially negative consequences. This paper gives clinicians excellent information to better discuss the negative impacts of these products with our patients. This article also was our most mentioned across our various social media platforms and in the mainstream news media.

2019 looks to be another great year as CSMR strives to continue to publish articles that continue to make a difference in clinical practice. Planned content for 2019 looks to include the following topics

• Developing Physician Leaders
• Fighting in Ice Hockey
• Injury Prevention
• Concussion Subtypes
• Ketogenic Diets
• Dogs as Motivation for Physical Activity and Health

We hope you enjoy our content as much as our team enjoys putting it together. If there are topics or authors you would like to see published in CSMR please contact us via email.

Most Read Articles Published in 2018

Exercise is Medicine for Concussion

Pediatric Inactivity Triad: A Risky PIT 

Multiple Sclerosis and Exercise: A Literature Review

Energy Availability, Macronutrient Intake, and Nutritional Supplementation for Improving Exercise Performance in Endurance Athletes

Energy Drinks: A Contemporary Issues Paper

Sports Drinks on the Edge of a New Era

The Application of Blood Flow Restriction: Lessons From the Laboratory

Interval Training for Cardiometabolic Health: Why Such a HIIT? 

Female Athlete Issues for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement - 2017 Update 

Nutritional Supplements for the Treatment and Prevention of Sports-Related Concussion - Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Evidence Still Lacking? 

Physical Effects of Anabolic-androgenic Steroids in Healthy Exercising Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Core Muscle Injuries in Athletes 

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in the Athlete: Diagnosis and Management

Conversation Starters: Highest Altmetric Attention Score

Altmetric calculates a score based on the online attention an article receives. The score is calculated based on two main sources of online attention: social media and mainstream news media. 

Energy Drinks: A Contemporary Issues Paper

Zurich to Berlin—“Where” Are We Now with the Concussion in Sport Group?

Exercise is Medicine for Concussion

Energy Availability, Macronutrient Intake, and Nutritional Supplementation for Improving Exercise Performance in Endurance Athletes

Optimal Running Dose and Cardiovascular Risk

Pediatric Inactivity Triad: A Risky PIT 

The Application of Blood Flow Restriction: Lessons From the Laboratory

Interval Training for Cardiometabolic Health: Why Such a HIIT? 

Sports Drinks on the Edge of a New Era

Football Team Rhabdomyolysis: The Pain Beats the Gain and the Coach Is to Blame


ACSM Professional Members who are physicians have an electronic subscription to Current Sports Medicine Reports, as well as additional ACSM journals Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews and the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. Further, members receive discounts on ACSM certification exams, meeting and conference registrations, ACSM continuing education credits and more. Learn more and join today! 

Shawn F. Kane, MD, FACSM, graduated from Gettysburg College with a BS in Biology and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He attended medical school at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and graduated in 1995. He completed his internship and residency in Family Medicine at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, NC, and his Sports Medicine Fellowship at Fort Belvoir, VA. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2018 after having served almost his entire career in the U.S. Army Special Operations Community, including 12 deployments in support of combat operations. He currently serves as an associate professor and physician at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Family Medicine Center. He has been a member of ACSM since 1993 and currently serves as the editor-in-chief for Current Sports Medicine Reports.