Applications of Machine Learning in Sports Medicine, Physical Activity, Posture, and Rehabilitation

Dear Colleagues,

Recent and innovative advancements in artificial intelligence are transforming the way we approach sports medicine, physical activity, posture, and rehabilitation, leading to improved performance, health outcomes, and quality of life. This progress has opened new frontiers of research and clinical applications, promoting an evolution in sports performance, physical health, and the quality of life of patients.

Artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, is revolutionizing biomechanical analyses, allowing for the improvement of sports skills and a reduction in the risk of injury. Thanks to specific algorithms, it supports physical activity programs adapted to individual health goals, promoting active, healthy lifestyles. It is supporting remote patient care, enabling effective and real-time services outside of urban centers. In addition, machine learning models based on data from wearable devices allow for accurate assessments of rehabilitation outcomes, personalizing treatment and facilitating a gradual return to physical activity and competition. The advent of human pose estimation models allowed for a detailed assessment of human posture, detecting and analyzing the position of different body parts. This approach is essential for identifying any postural imbalances or technical errors during exercise performance, thus helping to prevent injuries, improve performance, and provide real-time feedback during exercise or rehabilitation. The application of machine learning represents a valuable innovation in sports and health, improving performance, promoting an active lifestyle, and facilitating rehabilitation. However, as an extremely popular and studied research field, in recent years, it is important to be aware of its real applications in the field of human movement.

This Special Issue aims to explore the broad applications of machine learning in sports medicine, exercise, posture, and rehabilitation. We seek contributions ranging from original research to systematic reviews, with a particular focus on biomechanical analysis, personalized exercise plans, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. Additionally, this Special Issue will carefully highlight the real applications of these models, along with their strengths, limitations, and future challenges for their integration in the context of sports.

Dr. Federico Roggio
Dr. Mark Elliott
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• machine learning
• artificial intelligence
• sports medicine
• physical activity
• posture
• rehabilitation
• biomechanics
• injury prevention
• human pose estimation