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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How racehorses might hold the key to saving thousands of human lives
After a routine gallop on the morning of October 31 2023, the American thoroughbred racehorse Practical Move collapsed and died. A necropsy – the animal equivalent of a human autopsy — suggested sudden cardiac death. More than a decade earlier, on March 17, 2012, Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed during a televised FA Cup match, 41 minutes into play. His heart had stopped due to sudden cardiac arrest. For 78 minutes, Muamba was clinically dead. He was revived after 15 defibrillatory shocks and later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator – a device that monitors heart rhythms and delivers shocks when dangerous arrhythmias occur. Muamba's story captured global attention, as did Christian Eriksen's collapse during Euro 2020. But for every elite athlete whose sudden cardiac event makes headlines, there are countless others – both human and animal – who collapse without cameras, coverage, or answers. Horses suffer many of the same heart conditions as humans, including arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest. Like elite athletes, they push their cardiovascular systems to the limit. Their extraordinary physiology makes them a unique, underused model for studying how the heart performs – and sometimes fails – under extreme physical strain. If we're serious about improving health outcomes across species, we need to rethink the artificial divide between animal and human medicine. That's where the One Health, One Medicine agenda comes in. This approach recognises that human, animal and environmental health are deeply interconnected. It calls for collaboration between doctors, veterinarians, scientists, policymakers and environmental experts to tackle shared challenges — from zoonotic pandemics and antimicrobial resistance to chronic disease. While it's often associated with infectious threats such as avian flu or COVID-19, One Health is equally vital in addressing non-communicable diseases (ones that can't be passed from person to person), which are now the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. At its core, One Health starts with a simple idea: humans and animals share the same biological systems. Studying one helps us better understand the other. And, when it comes to cardiovascular health, racehorses offer a powerful example of why that matters. From stable to surgery As a cardiac electrophysiologist – a specialist in the heart's electrical activity in both humans and animals – I see cases every year of horses collapsing during or after races, potentially due to undiagnosed cardiac issues. Exercise-associated sudden death is notoriously hard to predict and devastating when it strikes – not only for the horses and their handlers, but for the racing world more broadly. Alongside my research team, I'm working to identify subtle electrical abnormalities in the equine heart that could act as early warning signs. Our goal is to understand what causes these sudden cardiac events — and ultimately, to predict which horses are most at risk. And this research could save lives. Not just equine ones. What we learn from equine hearts could help transform human cardiac medicine — particularly in athletes or others under intense cardiovascular stress. If we can recognise, manage and prevent rhythm disturbances in high-performing horses, we may find new ways to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in people. Unlike many lab animals, horses share heart anatomy and disease patterns that closely mirror our own. Their ability to shift from resting heart rates as low as 20 beats per minute to over 200 during exertion offers a natural model of extreme cardiac adaptability. And the benefits of equine research go far beyond the heart. Studies of horse physiology are also yielding insights into gut health, immune response and metabolism. As prey animals – species that have evolved to survive being hunted – horses are finely attuned to their environment. Their survival has long depended on their ability to detect and react quickly to potential threats, which has resulted in a highly sensitive nervous system. This heightened reactivity extends to their gastrointestinal tract, making them especially vulnerable to stress-related gut issues. Environmental changes, emotional distress and social disruption can all trigger digestive problems in horses, including colic and gastric ulcers. Because of this sensitivity, horses have emerged as a surprisingly valuable model for studying the gut-brain axis – the complex communication network between the digestive system and the brain. They also offer insight into how chronic stress and inflammation can affect long-term health, with potential applications not only in veterinary care but also in understanding human conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression. When we invest in equine health, we're not just helping animals. We're expanding what's possible in human medicine, too. Breaking down the silos Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, even some cancers — these aren't just human problems. They're shaped by shared genetic, environmental and behavioural forces that cut across species. By dismantling the silos between human and animal health, One Health allows us to share knowledge, pool data, and develop cross-species innovations that benefit us all. Too often, animal health is treated as separate — or even secondary — to human health. That's a mistake. Our well-being is tightly bound to the health of the animals we care for and the environments we share. A renewed focus on equine wellbeing doesn't just improve outcomes for horses. It sharpens our understanding of physiology, strengthens public health, and helps prevent avoidable deaths — on and off the track. If we want to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in athletes — or anyone pushing their body to its limits — we need to widen the lens. That means recognising the value of research in veterinary medicine. It means turning the stethoscope toward the stable. Because when a horse collapses on the track, it's more than a tragedy. It's a missed opportunity — to understand, to prevent and to save. Kamalan Jeevaratnam is the Head of School of Veterinary Medicine and Professor in Clinical Physiology at the University of Surrey. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stafford reportedly dealing with aggravated disc
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss why back injuries are so difficult to heal and stress the importance of getting it fully back to normal before returning to play.
Reuters
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Experts call for focus on risk factors to reduce ACL injuries in women's game
MANCHESTER, England, July 1 (Reuters) - Breaking the cycle of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women's football requires a shift in the conversation away from biological differences such as wide hips and hormonal fluctuations during menstruation, according to experts. Instead, the focus should be on risk factors that can be controlled, they say. Women's Euro 2025, which kicks off on Wednesday, will be without Swiss striker Ramona Bachmann who will miss the tournament in her home country after tearing her ACL less than three weeks ago, underscoring the devastation the knee injury can cause in the women's game. While studies show women are up to eight times more susceptible to ACL tears than men, there is scant research on the injury in professional women's football. "We want to move away from these kind of stereotypical views that women are just more susceptible to it because of the way that their bodies are," Alex Culvin, Head of Strategy and Research for Women's Football at global players' union FIFPRO, told Reuters. "They can't take the high workload, all of these quite nonsensical, illogical, overly kind of feminized ways of looking at ACL injury. "We really want to hone in on things that we can affect. We can't change women's physiologies but what we can change and what we can adapt and improve are the conditions in which ACL injuries occur." Culvin, a lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, is part of Project ACL, a three-year study launched by FIFPRO, the Professional Footballers' Association, Nike and Leeds Beckett with the Women's Super League. There is interest in expanding the study to other women's leagues around the world. "Obviously you've got non-modifiable risk factors which are predominantly physiological but you've got modifiable risk factors which count for calendar, number of games, travel and then actual physical environments that players play in, their working environments, and that's what our focus is," said Culvin, who played professionally for Everton and Liverpool. Culvin is calling for minimum standards across the women's game to eliminate risk factors in the working environment, in areas such as access to physiotherapy and pitch condition. "We want to gather as much data around these environmental risk factors as possible and start to build out an evidence base that's not been built before on ACL injury," she said. Dale Forsdyke, a Lecturer in Sports Injury Management at York St. John University in England, said psychological factors had to become part of the conversation around injury. "We often forget footballers are human and we forget that the life stresses that they're exposed to can be really significant. What does it do to their bodies?" Forsdyke said. "We know that it alters their stress hormones. We know that it can impair muscle repair from physical load, and it can give them some peripheral narrowing so their attentional focus goes. "There's obviously a behavioural mechanism with stress -- if I can't deal with these stresses, then that's going to impact my sleep quality and quantity. And we know that sleep (is important) as a recovery strategy." Forsdyke said while some teams were starting to work with sleep specialists and include testing for the "stress hormone" cortisol as part of player health screening, if they employed a psychologist, it was usually reactionary. They were often consultants, brought in for injured players or when a problem occurred. Forsdyke spoke about psychological risk factors in injury to more than 500 medical professionals at the ninth UEFA Medical Symposium in Lugano, Switzerland, earlier this year. The symposium's focus for the first time was on women's football. UEFA's chief medical officer Zoran Bahtijarevic, who hosted the symposium, appealed to coaches at all levels to learn about preventative programmes in order to help reverse the ACL trend in the women's game. FIFA 11+, a warm-up programme aimed at preventing injuries, is one of the resources available to coaches. "We need the attention of coaches. We need the attention of parents," Bahtijarevic told Reuters. "Coaches have a great responsibility to educate themselves, to establish healthy habits of preventive exercises which are (unrewarding) because the result might be obvious only in 20 years. "But we want to make it a continuous effort to educate everybody involved that prevention is possible. It's boring because you have to repeat it two or three times a week, right? It's boring but efficient. "So my advice is start doing this... prevention starts with you. Every Cristiano Ronaldo was once a grassroots player. Prevention starts there."
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Adam Silver addresses Jayson Tatum, NBA star injuries in playoffs
While injuries are virtually impossible to completely eliminate in the NBA, there have been some questions about the added strain to the current era of players. The game is faster and more athletic than it's ever been as that will continue to be the case going forward. So, as part of the discussion, there have been vocal calls about lessening the number of regular season games from 82 to a lower number. There have also been murmurs about the playoff schedule; some players pointed out the quick turnaround between some games can be an added burden to an already heavy workload. Advertisement Speaking at the 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed some of those injuries and what the league is looking into. He was asked about star injuries like Jayson Tatum or Stephen Curry, along with what the league is looking into for player safety. 'Part of what we do is look at every form of data we can get our hands on,' Silver told reporters. 'That includes minutes played, injuries. It includes whatever impact we see that back-to-backs are having on players, not just measured in injuries but by production on the floor. So we are going to continue to look at it. 'I don't think there's any magic bullets here. In fact, injuries are considerably down this playoffs from what it's been historically. I think it's our second lowest in 10 years. We have pretty healthy teams coming into the Finals now.' Injuries are inevitable throughout sports. Even a guy like Tatum, who hadn't missed a playoff game before this year, suffered a brutal Achilles injury in the second round. But there are ways for the league to make it easier on the players in the name of safety. Advertisement For example, the Thunder vs. Nuggets second-round series featured a quick turnaround between Games 3 and 4. Game 3 was played on a Friday night in Denver that went into overtime. Then Game 4 tipped off roughly 36 hours later Sunday afternoon as players on both sides pointed out how tough that is. So those are some areas the league has drawn some criticism, including from TNT analyst Charles Barkley during the series. Regardless, player safety will always be at the forefront of any discussion — especially for the superstars. Considering it's a star-driven league, keeping the players healthy is a huge priority for everyone involved. 'We look at it very closely,' Silver said. 'This question comes up a lot. I don't want to make a change just to make a change. People are asking should we shorten the season, spread the games out over a longer period of time. I don't necessarily think we should reduce the number of games. 'If we had more days to work with, there is no question that if players are better rested, putting aside injuries, that that potentially leads to a little bit of heightened competition. I think a little bit what you see in the playoffs, too, because they're better rested. We're up against also players needing to take time off, needing to have an offseason. We will continue to look at it." More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Two baseball players taken ill in the heat as sweltering weather intensifies across the US
Two Major League Baseball players fell ill while playing in extreme heat – as millions of Americans face dangerous temperatures and humidity during the first heat wave of the year. Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton both fell sick Saturday as temperatures t opped 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity drove the heat index above 100. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, De La Cruz vomited on the field in St. Louis as his team took on the Cardinals. An athletic trainer came out onto the field to check on him while the grounds crew cleaned up the area. 'I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,' Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'And then he went right out and got rid of it.' De La Cruz, a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, stayed in the game. While the Reds went on to lose, De La Cruz hit a home run and was able to stroll around the bases. Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Mariners pitcher, Thornton, 31, had to be held off the field after nearly collapsing behind the mound. Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Thornton had 'a little bit of a heat-related illness.' 'It was a scary moment, for sure,' Wilson said. 'He battled hard. But just really glad that he's feeling a little bit better now and should be OK.' The temperature for the Reds vs Cardinals game was 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33.3 Celsius), while it was 94F (34.4C) at the start of the Mariners vs Cubs. The home plate umpire for the Mariners-Cubs game, Chad Whitson, also got sick from dehydration during the game. 'He came in, same kind of thing. Just was not feeling well,' Wilson said. 'Threw up a few times in the dugout and then they came and took care of him from there. The heat was a real thing today, for sure.' A Major League Baseball spokesperson said Whitman was doing better Saturday night and was cleared to work third base for the series finale. More than 170 million Americans will face dangerous temperatures and humidity heading into Monday as the first major heat wave of the year is expected to smash record temperatures across the central and eastern portions of the country. A heat dome, or a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is currently looming over parts of the U.S. 'Extreme heat is tragically the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in America,' AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. 'There is an amplified risk of heat-related illnesses because this is the first heat wave of the year for millions of people, and their bodies are not yet acclimated to this type of heat and humidity.' The temperature reached 80F (26.6C) in the Chicago area by 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Forecasts predicted heat indices – how hot it feels to the human body when humidity is taken into account – of between 100F and 105F (37.7C to 40.5C). The heat index in Pittsburgh was expected to top 105F (40.5C). The temperature in Columbus, Ohio, was 77F (25C) at 8:30 a.m. Highs there were expected to reach 97F (36C). Forecasts called for a heat index of 100F (37.7C) in Philadelphia on Sunday, with a 108F (42.2C) heat index on Monday. The city's public health department declared a heat emergency starting at noon Sunday and ending Wednesday evening. Officials directed residents to air-conditioned libraries, community centers and other locations, and set up a "heat line" staffed by medical professionals to discuss conditions and illnesses made worse by the heat. Forecasters warned the heat index in Cromwell, Connecticut, would reach 105F (40.5C) on Sunday, which was expected to make life challenging for golfers Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley as they compete during the final round of the Travelers Championship.
