Media
Primary Care Masterclass in sport & exercise medicine and musculoskeletal health
Session 1: Exercise & the Heart: a primer on sports cardiology
Dr. Paul Dorian
Session 2: Relationship between sleep and physical activity and how to provide advice
Dr. Saverio Stranges
Session 3: Walking for health – translating the evidence to a clinical practice
Dr. Nanette Mutrie
Session 4: Sports imaging – what primary care physicians need to know and how to determine “best” radiologic investigations
Dr. Bruce Forster
Session 5: Physical activity for those with low back pain
Dr. Fiona Wilson
Session 6: How to advise patients with respiratory illness on exercise
Dr. Martin Schwellnus
Session 7: The plus-sized community and physical activity – a perspective from a 205kg patient
Tracey Carr
Session 8: Making every contact count for physical activity
Ann Gates
Session 9: Physical activity prescription in primary care: what do we know and where do we need to go?
Dr. Irfan Asif
Session 10: Physical activity prescription in primary care: providing personalized advice
Dr. Mats Börjesson
Session 11: Rheumatological conditions and physical activity
Dr. Lauren King
Session 12: Disability and sport: Why is it important and where do we point our patients for more information?
Dr. Catherine Carty
Session 13: Joint examination for Primary Care Physicians- what not to miss and when to request MRI
Dr. Femi Ayeni
Bonus Session: Unmet needs in clinical care for sport and exercise medicine with an equity lens: An athlete’s perspective
Olivia Ghosh-Swaby
Infographics
Authors: J. Thornton, C. Rosen, M. Davenport, M. Mountjoy, P. Dorian, V. Gouttebarge, B. Breau, E. Pila, K. Reilly, J. Yuan, K. Mok, S. Di Ciacca, M. Speechley, K. Crossley
Graphic created by Hylton Design
Authors: J. Thornton, C. Rosen, M. Davenport, M. Mountjoy, P. Dorian, V. Gouttebarge, B. Breau, E. Pila, K. Reilly, J. Yuan, K. Mok, S. Di Ciacca, M. Speechley, K. Crossley
Graphic created by Hylton Design
Authors: J. Thornton, C. Rosen, M. Davenport, M. Mountjoy, P. Dorian, V. Gouttebarge, B. Breau, E. Pila, K. Reilly, J. Yuan, K. Mok, S. Di Ciacca, M. Speechley, K. Crossley
Graphic created by Hylton Design
Graphic created by N. Abayomi
Authors: D. Richards & J. Thornton
Authors: N. Grubic, S. Jain, V. Mihajlovic, J. Thornton & A. Johri
Authors: L. Seddon & J. Thornton
Graphic created by F. Nugent & C. Ward, Consensus statement by F. Wilson, J. Thornton, K. Wilkie, J. Hartvigsen, A. Vinther, K. Ackerman, J. Caneiro, L. Trease, F. Nugent, C. Gissane, S. McDonnell, A. McGregor, C. Newlands & C. Arden
Authors: L. Seddon & J. Thornton
Authors: K. Marino, D. Vishnubala, O. Ahmed, P. Zondi, J. Whittaker, A. Shafik, C. Le, D. Chatterjee, A. Odulaja, N. Jones & J. Thornton
Podcasts
Anterior Knee Pain w/ Dr. Jane Thornton
Season One Synopis w/Dr. Jane Thornton and Dr. Ali Rendely
Olympic Optimism w/ Dr. Jane Thornton
Building Your Athlete Mental Health Toolkit during COVID-19 with Olympian Dr. Jane Thornton
Prescribing Physical Activity with Dr. Jane Thornton (pt 1)
Prescribing Physical Activity with Dr. Jane Thornton (pt 2)
How do I know if I’m properly hydrated? with Dr. Jane Thornton
What’s the latest on what running can do for my health? with Dr. Jane Thornton
Exploring Physical Exercise Prescription with Dr. Jane Thornton
Backpain in Athletes with Dr. Jane Thornton
Videos
Collection Online Forum “Sports and Exercise Medicine
The Ideal Specialty for the 21st Century”
The Ideal Specialty for the 21st Century”
Blogs
Online and On-Target: Indigenous Community Engagement for a Digital Healthcare Hub
Blog Western University MPH Practicum 2023
July 11, 2023
At the start of the year, I remember having doubts about my fit in the public health environment. After spending my undergrad studies immersed in health pertaining to sport and physical activity, I questioned my role to play in critical public health areas such as emergency preparedness, pandemics and more. However, remembering my own community reminded me why this area was so important to me heading into my Fowler Kennedy practicum.
The health of retired high performance female athletes
Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) Blog
February 16, 2022
Injury prevention is a key priority of many sport organizations, including the International Olympic Committee. With the “protection of the health of the athlete” in mind, research teams have delved into what works in injury prevention and health promotion to ensure that athletes can play longer and safer during their careers (Ljungqvist, 2008). This focus is especially important as the injury rate in competitive sports is rising (Palmer et al., 2021).
Clinical Tips: Jane Thornton on Prescribing Physical Activity
BJM Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
February 14, 2022
I’m going to outline how I prescribe physical activity. As we all know, physical activity can reverse or help manage the symptoms of many chronic conditions and help prevent and treat musculoskeletal conditions. It’s under-prescribed for a variety of reasons. Physicians cite lack of time, training and trust as barriers to including physical activity in their counselling practices. Patients face barriers to being active that are social, demographic and cultural.
Embrace your inner Winter Olympian: The art and science of enjoying exercise in the cold
The Conversation
February 7, 2022
Let’s face it: When most of us see the temperature outside fall to minus double digits, our first instinct isn’t to gleefully run outside. I was no different. I was a sedentary kid who found my sport — rowing — relatively late, but as soon as I did, I craved rowing on New Brunswick’s Saint John River in the spring, summer and fall months. Winter was an obstacle.
SEM Around the World…Canada
BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
December 15, 2021
I am a Sport and Exercise Medicine physician and Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health at Western University in London, Canada. I am also a senior editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) and a board member at the Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). My research focuses on long term athlete health, female athlete health, and physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
Will you make a New Year’s resolution to help supercharge the impact, use and uptake of your research?
British Journal of Sports Medicine
December 6, 2021
Mind the ‘knowledge translation’ gap. It’s no secret that despite the blood, sweat and tears of researchers, it still takes a long time for the research itself to filter down into the contexts and settings that it is intended for. As has been referenced in BJSM before, it takes 17 years for just 14% of medical research to be implemented in practice. We know from the same BJSM paper and from Dr Christian Barton’s work, that potential solutions exist to overcome some of the barriers.
Time, Training, Trust – making movement prescription an easier choice
Internal Society of Physical Activity & Health
November 16, 2021
Why aren’t more doctors prescribing physical activity? The World Health Organization ranks physical inactivity as the 4th leading risk factor for death worldwide. The need is greater than ever to integrate physical activity into all facets of healthcare. Physical activity can reverse or help manage the symptoms of many chronic conditions, including osteoarthritis which is one of the most common reasons for primary care visits in Canada. Implementation of physical activity prescription within the healthcare profession is part of the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) and is one of ISPAH’s #8Investments that work for physical activity.
The BJSM Global Mentoring Program– a worldwide network to advance equity and science
British Journal of Sports Medicine
September 12, 2021
The BJSM Editorial Board is committed to advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across sport and exercise medicine (SEM), and we have developed several initiatives in recent months to support this priority. The key barriers to achieving EDI in SEM are inequity in research infrastructure, training, funding, and support worldwide and at all levels of the scientific process. This has meant that motivated SEM researchers, especially from low-income and middle-income countries, often face additional obstacles to conducting research and disseminating their findings.
BJSM E-edition: #SportsEquity
British Journal of Sports Medicine
September 2021
This e-edition is concerned with (in)equities in sport. In contrast to equality (giving everyone the same), equity recognises that not everyone began at the same place in society, that the playing field was never level, and that social power imbalances influence different groups’ lived experiences. Some people are born into and face adverse conditions and circumstances, making it more challenging–despite greater effort–to match others’ achievements. Equity advocates for the historically disadvantaged. For equity, what is ‘fair’ is not a question of receiving the same, but considers contextual factors (paraphrased from the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality), as well as each person’s unique needs (summarised by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).
Competing Against COVID-19: Have We Forgotten About Student-Athletes’ Mental Health?
British Journal of Sports Medicine
March 18, 2021
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, competitive athletes have expressed substantial grief and frustration attributed to alterations in routine, limited or modified training, and the postponement of international competitions, such as the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and international championship events [1,2].
What are the Dos and Don’ts of Getting the Most out of My Daily Walk?
CBC Radio
January 27, 2021
If sports medicine physician Dr. Jane Thornton had to pick only one thing for her patients to do to get healthier, it’s exercise. So she often hands a different kind of script to her patients: a prescription for walking.
Opportunities for Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) in a Post COVID-19 World
British Journal of Sports Medicine
October 7, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and changed global society with profound health implications. The lockdown and travel restrictions have provided an unique opportunity for populations and individuals to engage in physical activity. Some nations, such as the UK, have embedded exercise as an essential exception to leave the home in the strictest phase of the lockdown guidance.
Athletes’ Mental Health at Risk in Lockdown as Coronavirus Puts Training and Olympics on Hold
The Conversation
April, 2020
“Telling an athlete to go outside and exercise [in order to feel better during COVID-19 isolation] isn’t really helpful for those struggling with mental illness.” Those are the words of a prospective Olympian who has struggled with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. They highlight one of the challenges faced by athletes during this time of extreme, far-reaching disruption in training and daily routines.
Athlete Mental Health and Mental Illness in the Era of COVID-19: Shifting Focus with a New Reality
British Journal of Sports Medicine
March 25, 2020
Few events in history have altered the staging of the Olympic Games. Thus far only the World Wars have kept our athletes away from the grand stage, and several politically based boycotts prevented some nations from participating in other Olympic Games. In fact, few events have altered day-to-day function across the globe as has COVID-19. In what seems like an instant we have gone from training and congregating wherever and whenever we want- to travel restrictions, closed borders, closed training centers, and millions of people living in self-isolation.
Medicine Through Movement
British Journal of Sports Medicine
April 3, 2019
One of CJSM’s closest relationships is with our partner society the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). After all, CASEM was the founding society for the ‘Canadian Journal of Sport Medicine’ (now the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine). We keep close tabs on what CASEM is doing because it’s sure to be of importance to both us and the world of SEM.
Physical Activity Counselling – the Family Physician as Teacher and Advocate
Canadian Family Physician
December 6, 2018
With the end of my Family Medicine residency in sight, it’s an appropriate time to reflect. I have benefitted from exceptional mentors throughout my training which has given me a profound sense of gratitude. With that, though, comes a sense of urgency – particularly around physical inactivity, what the WHO calls the 4th greatest risk factor for early morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Prescribing Physical Fitness
Patient Critical Co-op
August 15, 2018
Jane Thornton (Twitter) is an MD, Olympian & World Champion in Rowing. She is also founder of @MyActivIngrednt and an advocate for physical fitness and activity as a pillar of health and healthcare. Physical inactivity has been identified as a global pandemic: the fourth leading risk factor for death, worldwide. Is it time to start prescribing physical fitness?
Low Back Pain Care Pathway
to be Designed
World Rowing
March 16, 2018
There have been two articles published on WorldRowing.com in the last two years, which have stimulated a lot of interest. The response to these articles was followed up by emails from rowers around the world, keen to learn more about an issue that has become important for them.
Bringing New Meaning to the “Golden Years”: Making the Case for Geriatric Sport and Exercise Medicine
British Journal Sports Medicine
March 29, 2017
Frenchman Robert Marchand’s name has become synonymous with incredible achievement two months ago after setting a new track cycling world record… at 105 years of age. Astounding as this is, it has only served to confirm something many of us sport docs already know: the body is built for adaptation.
Exercise isn’t Just Prevention, but Treatment Too
Healthy Debate
September 7, 2016
Canada ranks as one of the most inactive nations on the planet. Four out of every five Canadians are not sufficiently active. Sedentary lifestyles have led to skyrocketing chronic disease rates, leading the World Health Organization to rank physical inactivity as one of its top four risk factors for early mortality.
Time to Integrate Physical Activity into Canadian Medical School Curricula
CAME Voice/Voix
StatsCan data has shown that Canada ranks as one of the most inactive nations on the planet: four out of every five Canadians are not sufficiently active. Sedentary lifestyles have led to skyrocketing chronic disease rates, leading the World Health Organization to rank physical inactivity as one of its top four risk factors for early mortality.