Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jun 1;40(6):449-57.
doi: 10.2165/11531970-000000000-00000.

Nullius in verba: a call for the incorporation of evidence-based practice into the discipline of exercise science

William E Amonette  1 , Kirk L English, Kenneth J Ottenbacher
Affiliations

Nullius in verba: a call for the incorporation of evidence-based practice into the discipline of exercise science

William E Amonette et al. Sports Med. .

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a concept that was popularized in the early 1990s by several physicians who recognized that medical practice should be based on the best and most current available evidence. Although this concept seems self-evident, much of medical practice was based on outdated textbooks and oral tradition passed down in medical school. Currently, exercise science is in a similar situation. Due to a lack of regulation within the exercise community, the discipline of exercise science is particularly prone to bias and misinformation, as evidenced by the plethora of available programmes with efficacy supported by anecdote alone. In this review, we provide a description of the five steps in EBP: (i) develop a question; (ii) find evidence; (iii) evaluate the evidence; (iv) incorporate evidence into practice; and (v) re-evaluate the evidence. Although objections have been raised to the EBP process, we believe that its incorporation into exercise science will improve the credibility of our discipline and will keep exercise practitioners and academics on the cutting edge of the most current research findings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The fundamental steps of evidence-based practice in the context of individual exercise prescription.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Theoretical knowledge base of student enrolled in traditional course or certification that teaches only general principles (A) vs. a course or certification teaching both general principles and the philosophy of evidence-based practice.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Huxley AF. Cross-bridge action: present views, prospects, and unknowns. Journal Of Biomechanics. 2000;33(10):1189–1195. - PubMed
    1. Huxley AF, Niedergerke R. Structural changes in muscle during contraction; interference microscopy of living muscle fibres. Nature. 1954;173(4412):971–973. - PubMed
    1. Huxley H, Hanson J. Changes in the cross-striations of muscle during contraction and stretch and their structural interpretation. Nature. 1954;173(4412):973–976. - PubMed
    1. Huxley AF, Niedergerke R. Measurement of muscle striations in stretch and contraction. The Journal Of Physiology. 1954;124(2):46–47. - PubMed
    1. Guyatt GH, Sackett DL, Cook DJ. Users' guides to the medical literature. II. How to use an article about therapy or prevention. A. Are the results of the study valid? Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association. 1993;270(21):2598–2601. - PubMed

Publication types