At Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal, we believe it is essential to regularly update our readers on topics that can enhance and challenge their daily practice. As we conclude this successful year of 2024, we have chosen “Pushing Boundaries in Harsh Terrain” as a fitting theme. Focusing on extreme sports medicine, these topics were selected upon the recommendation of our esteemed associate editor Dr. Celeste Geertsema.
The pursuit of sport, adventure, and exploration in extreme environments has seen a dramatic rise in recent years. Athletes, explorers, and enthusiasts are constantly pushing the boundaries of human endurance and capability, often venturing into the world’s most unforgiving terrains—from arctic ice fields to arid deserts, towering mountain ranges to deep oceans and space. These endeavors present unique and formidable challenges that demand not only exceptional physical and mental preparation but also innovative and specialised medical knowledge. Extreme medicine has emerged as a vital field, addressing the healthcare needs in such austere environments where conventional medical practices often fall short.
Harsh environments provide unique natural laboratories for studying human physiology and resilience, offering insights into conditions such as hypoxia, dehydration, and the effects of prolonged physical exertion. The findings from these studies not only contribute to better expedition planning and safety but also have broader applications in clinical medicine and public health, particularly in understanding human adaptation to stress and extreme conditions. As exploration of harsh terrain continues to grow in popularity, so too must our commitment to developing the medical expertise necessary to support these extraordinary endeavors.
Guest editors of this targeted topic Extreme Sport Medicine: Celeste Geertsema MD, Peter Dzendrowskyj MD, Liesel Geertsema MD, assembled a team of experts from all corners of the world to highlight the latest research, studies and advancements in the field of extreme medicine as applied to sport, adventure and expeditions.
By sharing knowledge and experience from these authors we aim to enhance safety, optimise performance and expand the horizons of what is possible in the face of nature’s most daunting challenges.
Our guest editors Celeste, Peter, Liesel have done a great job. I wish to thank them sincerely for their time and effort. I am also particularly grateful to all invited authors, who not only push the scientific frontier, but also inspire the next generation of explorers, medical professionals and researchers dedicated to safeguarding life at the edges of human capability.
I hope that you our readers are going to enjoy this excellent issue.
Prof Nebojsa Popovic MD PhD
Editor-in-Chief