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Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement
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Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 6139

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sergio González-Espinosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health Sciences, International University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
Interests: sports performance; physical education; sports education; teaching methodologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

This Special Issue examines contemporary advances in sports science and medicine, focusing on the interconnection between athletic performance optimization, injury prevention strategies, rehabilitation protocols, and overall health enhancement. This collection compiles cutting-edge research from multidisciplinary teams including sports physiotherapists, physicians, biomechanists, and strength and conditioning specialists, addressing critical challenges in modern sports medicine through evidence-based interventions and innovative approaches. Key themes include the development of neuromuscular training programs designed to reduce injury risk, the implementation of biomechanical feedback systems for performance enhancement, and the application of predictive analytics to identify potential injury risk factors before they manifest. We emphasize the importance of multifactorial approaches that consider both intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting athletic performance and injury susceptibility. Contemporary rehabilitation strategies featured in this Special Issue highlight the evolution from traditional treatment methods to specialized, sport-specific protocols. These are integrated with advanced technologies including wearable devices, motion analysis systems, and real-time biofeedback, demonstrating the field's progression toward precision medicine in sports healthcare. The collaboration between sports physiotherapists, physicians, and orthopedic surgeons reflects the complexity of modern sports injury management. This Special Issue explores preventive interventions that extend beyond injury reduction to encompass overall health improvement and performance optimization. This holistic approach recognizes that athletic performance, injury prevention, and health enhancement are interconnected elements that require comprehensive, individualized strategies. The papers presented substantiate the evidence base supporting effective sports medicine practices and establish new directions for future investigations in this rapidly evolving field.

Dr. Sergio González-Espinosa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sports performance
  • injury prevention
  • rehabilitation
  • biomechanics
  • multidisciplinary approach
  • health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1760 KB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Quadriceps Electromyography During Bodyweight Strength Exercises
by Jesús Vera-Cartagena, Francisco J. Vera-Garcia, Aarón Miralles-Iborra, Juan Del Coso and Víctor Moreno-Pérez
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16041940 - 15 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3485
Abstract
Background: Although numerous exercises are prescribed for quadriceps femoris (QF) injury prevention and rehabilitation, few studies have compared QF muscle activation across commonly used bodyweight strength tasks. This study compared EMG activity of the rectus femoris proximal (RFP), rectus femoris medial (RFM), vastus [...] Read more.
Background: Although numerous exercises are prescribed for quadriceps femoris (QF) injury prevention and rehabilitation, few studies have compared QF muscle activation across commonly used bodyweight strength tasks. This study compared EMG activity of the rectus femoris proximal (RFP), rectus femoris medial (RFM), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) during seven bodyweight exercises with different stance positions. Methods: Twenty healthy male amateur football players performed three staggered-stance exercises (Split Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat, Backward Lunge), three parallel-stance exercises (Half-Squat, Russian Belt, Reverse Nordic), and one single-leg stance exercise (Lateral Step-Down). Surface EMG signals were recorded, and mean peak EMG values for each exercise were averaged and normalized to maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVIC). Results: The highest VM and VL activation occurred during the Bulgarian Split Squat (VM: 85.4%; VL: 67.6% MVIC) and Backward Lunge (VM: 74.5%; VL: 59.9% MVIC). RFP and RFM showed the greatest activation during the Russian Belt (RFP: 49.8%; RFM: 39.6% MVIC) and Backward Lunge (RFP: 40.4%; RFM: 31.4% MVIC). VM and VL activation were significantly higher than RFP and RFM activation for all exercises except for Russian Belt and Reverse Nordic (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Exercises imposing greater knee stability demands preferentially activated VM and VL, whereas exercises with longer knee extensor lever arms maximized rectus femoris activation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement)
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16 pages, 598 KB  
Article
Investigating the Nature of the Cognitive Benefits Associated with Fitness and Sporting Engagement
by Arunim Guchait, Chiao-Yun Chen, Yi-Hsuan Zhang and Neil G. Muggleton
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16021076 - 21 Jan 2026
Viewed by 2191
Abstract
There are many studies showing fitness and/or sporting skill is associated with better cognitive performance. One mechanism proposed to explain these effects is increased neural plasticity, meaning better cognitive performance could be the result of a more trainable brain. This theory was tested [...] Read more.
There are many studies showing fitness and/or sporting skill is associated with better cognitive performance. One mechanism proposed to explain these effects is increased neural plasticity, meaning better cognitive performance could be the result of a more trainable brain. This theory was tested by looking at the initial performance and the performance following training on a visual search task for individuals engaged in sports and for control individuals. Analysis of variance for speed of task performance with factors of group, gender and sport for both speed of responses on the task and improvement in response times with practice showed no significant effects (analysis of variance F < 1.9, p > 0.175 for all group effects). The only significant difference was a reduced difference between specific and non-specific learning on the task, likely indicative of reduced non-specific learning in some of the sports groups (runners/controls, ANOVA F(1, 43) = 5.484, p = 0.024, ηp2 = 0.113 a medium effect size; and male baseball, runners and controls F(2, 33) = 3.427, p = 0.044, ηp2 = 0.172 a large effect size), possibly due to previous improvement because of fitness or sporting skill. These findings suggest a need for specificity in terms of selecting sport training when trying to produce cognitive benefits and a need for better assessment of sport-specific and sport/fitness-general effects on cognitive performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Health Improvement)
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