Context: Peer assisted learning (PAL) has been shown to be effective when teaching specific skills during medical education. However, to date there is no evidence available to show that PAL in the form of student led clinical skills practice sessions can improve confidence in a range of previously learned clinical skills. 

In the previous edition of the Journal of Sports Therapy I introduced this series with an outline of the relationship between the epistemological level of research philosophy, or the source and sourcing of knowledge, and the need to carefully consider the overlapping nature of subjectivity and objectivity.

Objective: A pilot study to investigate the effects of specific exercise compared to general exercise on lumbosacral stability and pain in the chronic low back pain population.

Context: Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with symptoms including reduced spinal mobility and stiffness.  Whole body vibration training is a recent advance in exercise and rehabilitation, with beneficial effects on both healthy individuals and those with selected disease.  There has not, however, been a study into Whole Body Vibration Training (WBVT) on patients with AS.

Objective: Review all injuries that occur with players in football matches in season A and season B. Focus whether fatigue has an affect on injury rates during matches and what are the most common injuries.

Following on from the previous editorial, it is apparent that the sports therapy industry is in need of collaborative research links. Areas which have been identified as pertinent research fields include epidemiological studies and comparative audits of therapy clinics, destinations of graduate therapists, clinical case studies and management of common clinical conditions.