Sports Injuries: Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Orthopedics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 4754

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Sport and Informatics, Section of Physical Education and Sport, Pablo de Olavide University, Sevilla, Spain. FC Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland
Interests: elite sports; training and testing; strength and conditioning; injury prevention; rehabilitation; sports injuries; return to play
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Guest Editor
Department of Sports and Computing, Sport Faculty, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
Interests: resistance training; exercise performance; sports science; strength and conditioning; exercise testing; muscle function; sports injuries; athletic training; physical fitness; rehabilitation

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Guest Editor
Institute of Sport and Sport Science, Universität Freiburg, Germany Ao Foundation, Switzerland
Interests: sport injuries; diagnostics; rehabilitation; surgical procedures; neuromuscular conjunction; neurophysiology; therapy; kinesiotherapy; injury mechanisms
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Guest Editor Assistant
Institute for Research in Operative Medicine (IFOM), Universität Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
Interests: surgery; trauma; arthroscopy; sports injuries; rehabilitation; injury prevention; diagnostics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sports injuries remain a significant challenge for athletes, coaches and medical professionals, impacting performance, career longevity and overall wellbeing. From acute traumas to chronic overuse conditions, the complexity of sports-related injuries necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to understanding, preventing and managing these conditions. Injury rehabilitation and return to sport require specific treatment strategies and a well-organized, sport-specific approach, preparing the athlete for the physical, physiological and psychological demands of sport and thus minimizing the risk of reinjury.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together cutting-edge research that addresses the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries across various levels of competition and athletic disciplines. We invite submissions that explore innovative strategies on injury prevention, including biomechanical analyses, wearable technology, complex interventions and injury risk screening. Articles focusing on new surgical advancements, current treatment modalities, and novel rehabilitation and return-to-sport approaches are also encouraged. Moreover, we welcome research that delves into the psychological and social aspects of injury recovery, as well as interdisciplinary studies that connect sports science, medicine and rehabilitation. Whether your work focuses on elite performance or recreational activities, we invite you to submit your research and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this critical field.

Prof. Dr. Luis Suárez-Arrones
Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Núñez Sánchez
Prof. Dr. Ramona Ritzmann
Guest Editors

Dr. Cristophe Lambert
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • exercise
  • return to sport
  • rehabilitation
  • sports therapy
  • muscle
  • tendon
  • joint
  • surgery
  • MRI

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 368 KiB  
Article
Short-Term Clinical Evaluation of Tibial Tunnel Angle and Position in Anatomical Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
by Mücahid Osman Yücel, Raşit Emin Dalaslan, Sönmez Sağlam, Mehmet Arıcan, Zekeriya Okan Karaduman and Bedrettin Akar
Medicina 2025, 61(6), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61061107 - 18 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the angle and position of the tibial tunnel in the coronal and sagittal planes on short-term postoperative clinical outcomes following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Materials and Methods: This [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the angle and position of the tibial tunnel in the coronal and sagittal planes on short-term postoperative clinical outcomes following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 40 patients who underwent anatomical ACLR between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 and had a follow-up period of at least 4 months. The angle of the tibial tunnel on the AP radiograph and both the angle and anteroposterior position on the lateral radiograph were measured. Clinical evaluations were conducted using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and the Lysholm Knee Score, along with measurements of knee flexion and extension, to assess short-term outcomes at 1, 2, and 4 months postoperatively. Results: In patients whose tibial tunnels were positioned at 40–50° in the coronal plane, Lysholm scores were significantly higher at the 2nd and 4th months compared to other angles. In the sagittal plane, a tunnel angle between 30° and 40° was associated with significantly increased IKDC scores at both the 2nd and 4th months. Additionally, tunnels with an anterior–posterior ratio of 0.4–0.6 in the sagittal plane were associated with limitations in flexion and extension at the 4th month. There was no significant difference in VAS scores between the groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that optimizing the tibial tunnel angle in both the coronal and sagittal planes may play a crucial role in early postoperative knee function. Specifically, tibial tunnels placed between 40° and 50° in the coronal plane and 30° and 40° in the sagittal plane were associated with higher functional scores. However, tunnels positioned with an anterior–posterior ratio of 0.4 to 0.6 were linked to greater joint motion limitation. These findings indicate that angular and positional optimization of the tibial tunnel may have contributed to improved functional recovery following ACL reconstruction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Injuries: Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation)
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14 pages, 851 KiB  
Article
The Arabic Version of Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale: Translation and Psychometric Validation
by Osama R. Abdelraouf, Amr A. Abdel-Aziem, Nouf H. Alkhamees, Zizi M. Ibrahim, Mohamed A. Elhosiny, Shaza E. Ibrahim and Amal A. Elborady
Medicina 2025, 61(3), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61030506 - 15 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: It is crucial to consider not only the physical variables but also the athlete’s psychological condition prior to making the decision to return to sport (RTS). It is unfortunate that there is currently no universal questionnaire available in Arabic [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: It is crucial to consider not only the physical variables but also the athlete’s psychological condition prior to making the decision to return to sport (RTS). It is unfortunate that there is currently no universal questionnaire available in Arabic to determine whether an athlete is ready to return to sports. So, this cross-cultural validation study was carried out to translate and validate the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (I-PRRS) into the Arabic language. Materials and Methods: One hundred twenty athletes with lower extremity injuries (95 males and 25 females) completed the Arabic I-PRRS twice with a one-week time interval. An additional 50 athletes, comprising 40 males and 10 females, also participated in the study by completing the questionnaire during their initial visit to a physical therapist. Floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, reliability, discriminate validity, convergent validity, and factor construct were analyzed. Results: The I-PRRS was translated into Arabic with no floor or ceiling effects. It had good internal consistency (0.84) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC 0.88, 95% CI 0.73–0.95) where the lower bound of 95% CI indicated at least good reliability. The SEM was 1.14, and the MDC was 3.27 points. Athletes who were cleared to RTS demonstrated significant differences in their responses compared with those who were visiting their physical therapist for the first time. These differences were significant across all individual items, as well as in the total scores of the assessment (p < 0.001). There was a significant moderate correlation between overall scores on the I-PRRS and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) (rs = 0.69, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Arabic version of the I-PRRS demonstrated good reliability and validity, making it a suitable tool for evaluating psychological readiness to RTS among injured athletes in Arabic-speaking populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Injuries: Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation)

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9 pages, 2518 KiB  
Case Report
Return to Performance of a Soccer Player with an Adductor Longus Injury: A Case Report
by José Luis Estévez Rodríguez, Jesús Rivilla García and Sergio Jiménez-Rubio
Medicina 2024, 60(12), 1998; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60121998 - 3 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2448
Abstract
Context: There is limited information on the quantification of external load and reconditioning programs during adductor longus injuries in soccer. Case Presentation: This case report describes a male professional soccer player (LaLiga) returning to performance following an adductor longus muscle injury [...] Read more.
Context: There is limited information on the quantification of external load and reconditioning programs during adductor longus injuries in soccer. Case Presentation: This case report describes a male professional soccer player (LaLiga) returning to performance following an adductor longus muscle injury during the 2022/2023 season. The player suffered the injury during a change of direction in a match. The injury was confirmed by ultrasound after 48 h, and the previously validated rehabilitation and reconditioning program was applied to the injured player. This case report has focused on the development of the on-field reconditioning program and the quantification of the load during this phase. The goal of this case report was to return the player to pre-injury loads using global positioning systems (GPS). Variables such as total distance, distances covered at different speeds and metabolic load variables were quantified during the injury process, with the aim of increasing them through training and reaching at least 75% of the game load. Therefore, objective performance criteria for making return-to-play decisions based on the use of GPS was determined. In addition, the return to play (RTP) was on the 20th day after the injury, and then four RTPs were recorded in the following 6 weeks after the injury occurred, without re-injury. Conclusions: The approach to the competition performance profile, through the quantification of the external load during the rehabilitation process of the injured player, allowed us a safe return to competition and continued competition with a 6-week follow-up. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Injuries: Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation)
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