IJSPT issues new sports rehab research

The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy’s latest available issue is Volume 21, Number 7, published July 1, 2026, and it packages a set of peer-reviewed papers aimed squarely at sports medicine and rehabilitation clinicians. (ijspt.org) The journal describes itself as open access and peer reviewed, with a focus on clinically relevant evidence for athletes and active individuals. That matters here because the July issue is not built around one headline trial; it is a working stack of assessment, monitoring and return-to-sport papers that outpatient ortho and sports PT clinicians can use immediately in case review and protocol discussions. (ijspt.org 1) (ijspt.org 2) ### Which issue is actually current here? IJSPT’s website lists Volume 21, Number 7, dated July 1, 2026, as the latest issue currently displayed on its main page, ahead of June and May 2026 issues. A social post from Northeast Seminars flagged a “latest issue” for clinicians, but the journal’s own site is the firmer source on what is publicly posted and accessible. (ijspt.org) As of September 2, 2026, that visible current issue is the July 2026 edition. ### What research themes stand out in the July issue? Volume 21, Number 7 centers on measurement, return-to-sport decision support and clinically usable testing. The table of contents includes studies on markerless motion-based functional testing in runners, quadriceps strength and hop performance after ACL reconstruction in adolescent athletes, low-cost knee extensor dynamometry, triceps surae activity after ACL reconstruction, concussion recovery, and in-game cervical exercises for baseball pitchers. (ijspt.org) The same issue also includes work on dynamic taping for chronic ankle instability, blood flow restriction decision-making in pediatric and adolescent ACL patients, finger flexor exercises and medial elbow stabilizers, and a case report on figure-of-eight taping with rehabilitation for multidirectional shoulder instability in a school-age karate athlete. (ijspt.org) ### What is most useful for outpatient ortho and sports clinicians? One July paper reported that a markerless motion-based functional test battery for runners can generate “immediately-usable output” for rehabilitation purposes, according to the issue abstract. That puts objective movement capture closer to routine therapeutic monitoring rather than lab-only analysis. (ijspt.org) Another July study said isokinetic quadriceps strength at slower speeds after ACL reconstruction more strongly influenced hop test performance in adolescent athletes. For clinicians, that is the kind of paper that can shape what gets emphasized in strength testing and progression meetings. (ijspt.org) A third July paper found that adolescent athletes cleared for return to play after concussion may still show elevated fear of movement despite normal postural stability, according to the abstract. That gives clinicians a discussion point for pairing physical recovery markers with psychological screening during late-stage return-to-sport decisions. (ijspt.scholasticahq.com) ### Are there papers that challenge common measurement habits? A July study on a low-cost portable inline dynamometer reported that individual measurements may differ from a gold standard by 20% to 30% and “should not be blindly trusted without additional supporting evidence,” according to the abstract. (ijspt.org) That is a direct caution for clinics trying to expand objective testing with cheaper tools. The pediatric blood-flow-restriction paper reported that about half of clinicians avoid BFRT with young patients, while most would not use it when pain is high, and that clearer discontinuation criteria are needed. (ijspt.scholasticahq.com) Those details make the article useful not just for treatment selection but for policy and consent discussions inside sports medicine teams. ### How should clinicians use this issue in practice? IJSPT says it offers free monthly Journal Club sessions and is expanding that programming into podcast format, with hosts including Rob, Phil, Barb and Ashley discussing key papers and emerging trends. (ijspt.scholasticahq.com) That gives readers a second layer beyond the articles themselves: a built-in forum for translating papers into clinic conversation. The next practical step is straightforward. The July 1, 2026 issue is open on IJSPT’s site now, and clinicians can read the full table of contents, pull individual papers for journal club or case rounds, and use the journal’s education platform for follow-up discussion. (ijspt.scholasticahq.com) (ijspt.org) (ijspt.org)