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Sportman's hernia is a disease with insidious groin pain that primarily affects young males undertaking sports activities with frequent kicking and twisting. Pathophysiological theories include: 1) a weakening of the posterior inguinal potential or 2) injuries of the fascias of the muscles and insertions of tendons at the pubic bone. The diagnosis requires exclusion of differential diagnoses. Patients rarely respond to conservative treatment, whereas uncontrolled studies suggest improvement after surgery. However, there is a lack of randomized trials with a long follow-up to define the role of surgery in the treatment.

Sudden death involving athletes is always tragic and receives widespread public attention. The European Society of Cardiology has proposed cardiovascular screening of young competitive athletes. A report from the Danish Society of Cardiology recently concluded that screening cannot be recommended in Denmark at present. This conclusion was based mainly on inadequate documentation of the effect of screening and on considerations regarding cost-effectiveness. We recommend other prophylactic measures and further research on this issue.

The development of arthrosis is best understood paradigmatically as the result of an interaction between individual and systemic risk factors. This review of the current literature on the subject identifies overweight, occupational exposure to repeated daily lifting and the postmenopausal decline in gonadal steroids in women as significant risk factors for the development of symptomatic and radiologic osteoarthritis of the knee.

Myositis ossificans traumatica (MOT) is a nonneoplastic, heterotopic ossification of soft tissues i.e. skeletal muscle, tendons, aponeuroses and fascia. It is often encountered in young male athletes participating in contact sports as a result of a single or repeated contusion. MOT tends to be solitary, localized and well circumscribed with a self-limited growth potential that may culminate in regression. The pathogenesis of MOT is still enigmatic. Recent animal experiments have led to a theory that mesenchymal connective tissue cells, undergo metaplasia induced by trauma and probably osteogenic proteins, to fibroblasts and osteoblasts. These cells deposit and structure osteoid centripetally in the lesion. As the lesion matures, cancellous bone develops into mature, lamellar bone in the periphery of the lesion. In its earlier stages MOT is easily cytologically and radiologically confused with osteogenic sarcoma. The management of MOT is largely conservative and the principles are of considerable value to physicians and physiotherapists engaged in the treatment of sports injuries. This article reviews the various forms of myositis ossificans as well as the pathology, diagnosis and treatment options.