Moving forwards with Physical Therapy in Sport

Article Outline

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In bringing in the year 2006 we see a large number of changes in Physical Therapy in Sport that form part of the ongoing development and standing of the journal in the international arena. These developments are exciting, and also testament to the place we have carved out for the journal in the ever-changing and competitive world of research and practice information dissemination. I would like to indulge in a brief tour through the history of the journal. Physical Therapy in Sport was first published in February 2000 by Harcourt Publishers (later to become part of Elsevier), replacing the previous journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy in Sport. On launching the journal our aim was to provide an avenue for dissemination of scientific and practice information relevant to those working in the sport and exercise physical therapies. In carrying out this mission over the past 7 years we have realised a journal that attracts submissions from across the world, and from a variety of relevant disciplines, as well a publication with a truly international readership. With the advent of the electronic age, we have not had to rely solely on the hard copy journal for our readers to gain access. With Elsevier's ScienceDirect platform, researchers and practitioners from across the world have been able to access full text papers from our journal from their desk top. We have been fortunate to be part of the world's largest electronic collection of science, technology and medicine full text and bibliographic information.

When Physical Therapy in Sport was launched, I was privileged enough to be working on the project with my two co-editors, Kevin Foreman and Zoë Hudson. After nearly 7 long years, Kevin has decided to step down from his editorial duties, as his academic career gets even busier than it already was. Kevin has put in tremendous effort and hard work in making the journal what it is today, and we are grateful for his vision and ability to bring ideas to fruition. We have also been extremely fortunate to have the support of Carol Foreman as the Editorial Assistant for the journal since its inception. Those of you who have had contact with the editorial office will attest to Carol's efficiency, politeness and hard-working manner that has been paramount to the development of the journal. As Carol too is leaving the journal we wish her well and thank her for her generous support over the years.

As a new era begins for the journal we have had an opportunity to re-think the Editorial and administrative structure. It was decided that rather than appointing a third editor to join Zoë Hudson and myself, we take the opportunity to appoint two new Associate Editors to reflect the international nature of both the journal submissions and our readership. I am pleased to announce that Dr Rafael Escamilla from California State University, Sacramento has taken up the role of Associate Editor (North America), and Dr Gabriel Ng from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has taken up the role of Associate Editor (Asia). The addition of these editorial positions, and more importantly the people we have appointed to them, will allow a better voice from important regions of the world in regard to the physical therapies and sports medicine. Our Editorial Committee will remain unchanged with representatives from the UK, Australia, USA, and Canada, and our International Advisory Board will continue to represent the interests of a large number of countries around the world.

Several other initiatives are also underway for the journal. Elsevier have appointed Jacky Turner to administer the peer review process as well as the production of the journal. Jacky has been working in other capacities with this and other Elsevier journals over the past few years. Early in 2006 we will take our submission process fully online using the Elsevier Editorial System (EES). This system will allow authors to submit articles online, reviewers to referee online, and Editors to manage the peer review process online. This development will bring greater efficiency to all aspects of the journal and its production. Authors will be particularly impressed with the ability to access up-to-date information on the status of their submissions. The EES also includes an excellent customer support service to deal with queries from authors and reviewers. Another recent and exciting development has been the journal gaining an Impact Factor rating for 2004, figuring both in the Rehabilitation and the Sport Sciences categories of the Journal Citation Reports®, published by Thomson. We look forward to seeing our 2005 Impact Factor, and the progress we have made over the previous 12 months. The next initiative that I will mention is that Elsevier and the journal staff have worked hard in compiling an application that has been sent to MEDLINE for indexing of Physical Therapy in Sport. We hope to hear the outcome of the application over 2006. Finally, I take pleasure in announcing that Physical Therapy in Sport, together with the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine and the International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy, will be running an international conference in Birmingham, UK on 7–8 July 2006. The major theme for this joint initiative will be “Enhancing recovery and performance in sport”. Further details on this event can be found later in this issue. In summary, we are looking ahead with the journal and cementing its place in the international sport and exercise medicine and physical therapy community.

From the past and future, to the present. In this issue of Physical Therapy in Sport we include papers on a variety of topics relevant to sports medicine and physical therapy. The issue leads with a paper by Mancinelli and colleagues from West Virginia University who investigated the effects of massage on delayed onset muscle soreness and physical performance with female college basketball and volleyball players. The study found that soft tissue massage, combining effleurage, pettrisage, and vibration, could alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness and improve vertical jump performance in these athletes. The paper by Gribble and colleagues from the University of Toledo examined the effects of ankle bracing on activation of the peroneal muscles. In contrast to previous reports they found that use of an ankle brace did not produce immediate changes in peroneal muscle activation following short-term use. Eaton and George from Manchester Metropolitan University and Liverpool John Moores University, respectively, have contributed two papers on position specific rehabilitation for rugby union players. In their first paper they quantified positional movement patterns of professional rugby union players in the English premiership with a view to gaining a richer insight into possible rehabilitation strategies for injured players. In their second paper they provide evidence-based examples of how sport specific exercises can be progressed to enhance the rehabilitation of rugby union players, with specific reference to the high intensity rugby demands of players. The final paper in this issue is a Masterclass by Nee and Butler of the Pacific University and Neuro Orthopedic Institute, respectively. In this paper they discuss the management of peripheral neuropathic pain within the context of neurobiology, neurodynamics, and clinical evidence. There are many interesting management approaches highlighted in this paper.

I hope you are as enthused as I am about the many developments within Physical Therapy in Sport, and the range of papers presented in this issue. To those many of you who are involved in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, either directly or indirectly, I am sure that your hard work will be fruitful.

Gregory S. Kolt

Editor