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Sports
Special Issues
Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery
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Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 9741

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Márk Váczi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pécs, 7622 Pécs, Hungary
Interests: physical activity; functional abilities; resistance training; neuromuscular adaptations; joint stability; aging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite persistent efforts scientifically targeting health maintenance in physical activity, sports injuries continue to affect millions of athletes worldwide, with varying degrees of severity that can lead to short-term setbacks or long-term consequences. While there has been substantial focus on the effects of various prevention and rehabilitation techniques, new insights into injury mechanisms, identification of risk factors, and prevention strategies are still needed.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue of Sports, titled “Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery”. This Special Issue aims to gather innovative methodologies, technologies, and findings that help understand the mechanisms of sports injuries and their prevention strategies both in the clinical and in the sports fields. With sports injuries remaining a global concern across all levels of participation, from amateur athletes to professionals, and from children to adults, this Special Issue will highlight recent advances in the field and explore effective methods to enhance athlete health and performance.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Cross-sectional studies that explore new injury risks or injury mechanisms
  • Adaptation mechanisms during short- and long-term injury prevention training interventions
  • Single bout sessions or warm-up strategies that reduce injury risks
  • Adaptations to novel rehabilitation techniques in sports and clinics
  • Athletes’ novel pre-conditioning and re-conditioning techniques
  • Uncommon exercise interventions to improve injury resistance
  • Presenting the effects of unaccustomed, unexpected training stimuli, movement perturbation
  • Development of fundamental movement patterns in children and young athletes
  • Innovative training technologies, equipment, tools for injury prevention, risk identification
  • Training load management to reduce injury risks
  • Studies that provide bases for artificial intelligence development in injury prevention

I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Márk Váczi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 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.

Keywords

  • injury risks
  • prevention strategies
  • training technologies
  • unaccustomed training stimulus
  • rehabilitation
  • re-conditioning
  • children
  • athletes

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  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 1340 KB  
Article
Acute Effects of Muscle Flexibility and Myofascial Release of the Posterior Lower-Leg Muscles on Ankle Function in Individuals with Active Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion Deficits
by Maria Giannioti, Konstantinos Fousekis, Eleftherios Paraskevopoulos and Dimitris Mandalidis
Sports 2026, 14(4), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14040154 - 15 Apr 2026
Viewed by 871
Abstract
Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ADF-ROM) deficits has been linked to impaired function, altered gait, and injury risk. This study’s objective was to examine the acute effects of static self-stretching (SSS), foam rolling (FR), and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) of the posterior [...] Read more.
Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ADF-ROM) deficits has been linked to impaired function, altered gait, and injury risk. This study’s objective was to examine the acute effects of static self-stretching (SSS), foam rolling (FR), and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) of the posterior lower-leg on ADF-ROM and functional ankle outcomes in individuals with ADF-ROM deficits. Thirteen healthy, physically active college students with active ADF-ROM ≤ 13°, assessed in a non-weight-bearing position, completed all three interventions in a randomized, within-subject repeated-measures design. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included ADF-ROM, ankle plantar flexor isometric strength (APF-IS), single-leg countermovement vertical jump (SLCVJ), anterior reach distance in the Y-Balance Test (A-YBT), and gait parameters (contact time and plantar pressure). A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests was used. Effect sizes reported as partial eta squared (ηp2) and Cohen dz. All interventions significantly improved ADF-ROM (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.885), with IASTM showing the largest increase (50.7%, dz = 2.15), followed by FR (35.4%, dz = 2.20) and SSS (21.5%, dz = 1.82). Differences between IASTM and FR (p > 0.05, dz = 0.40) and between FR and SSS (p > 0.05, dz = 0.69) were nonsignificant, while IASTM was significantly greater than SSS (p < 0.05, dz = 0.92). Significant gains were also seen in A-YBT (p < 0.05; ηp2 = 0.302) and rearfoot plantar pressure (p < 0.01; ηp2 = 0.482), although pairwise comparisons were nonsignificant and demonstrated small-to-moderate effect sizes (dz = 0.35–0.52). No significant changes occurred in APF-IS, SLCVJ, or contact time and mid- and forefoot plantar pressures during roll-off. In conclusion, all interventions improved ADF-ROM, with IASTM and FR being comparably effective. However, only slight improvements in dynamic balance and certain gait parameters were noted, with no effect on strength or power. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery)
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Review

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17 pages, 876 KB  
Review
Beyond the Neutral Spine: A Narrative Review and Modern Framework for Low Back Injury Prevention in Deadlifting
by Bilel Cherni, Hamza Marzouki, Okba Selmi, Wesam Al Attar, Karim Chamari and Katsuhiko Suzuki
Sports 2026, 14(4), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14040151 - 13 Apr 2026
Viewed by 6457
Abstract
Traditional deadlift guidelines prioritize maintaining a neutral spine to prevent low back injuries. However, recent evidence questions whether moderate spinal flexion under load is inherently harmful, especially among trained individuals. This article proposes a modern, multifactorial framework for deadlift-related injury prevention that moves [...] Read more.
Traditional deadlift guidelines prioritize maintaining a neutral spine to prevent low back injuries. However, recent evidence questions whether moderate spinal flexion under load is inherently harmful, especially among trained individuals. This article proposes a modern, multifactorial framework for deadlift-related injury prevention that moves beyond rigid postural prescriptions. It integrates biomechanical evidence, load management strategies, movement variability principles, and dynamic trunk control. This narrative review synthesizes literature identified through structured searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, prioritizing peer-reviewed studies examining spinal biomechanics, load management, motor control, and injury epidemiology. Evidence suggests that trained lifters often exhibit natural lumbar flexion without clear prospective evidence of increased injury risk. Abrupt increases in training load appear to be consistently associated with elevated injury incidence, although relationships remain probabilistic and context-dependent. While technical factors, including spinal posture, may influence local tissue loading, current evidence suggests that rapid changes in training exposure and cumulative load management appear to be more consistent predictors of injury risk than isolated deviations from an externally defined “neutral” alignment. Movement variability appears protective, and dynamic trunk control is more functionally relevant than static core strength. A paradigm shift is needed in how deadlifts are coached and programmed. Injury prevention should emphasize progressive loading, adaptive movement strategies, and dynamic stability, rather than rigid technique enforcement. Rather than systematically appraising all available evidence, this review offers an interpretative synthesis to guide modern, evidence-informed coaching and rehabilitation practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery)
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Other

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19 pages, 662 KB  
Systematic Review
Epidemiology of Injuries in Women’s Rugby Sevens: A Systematic Review
by Carlos Braga, Pedro Lopes, Luiz Miguel Santiago and António Cruz-Ferreira
Sports 2026, 14(2), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14020073 - 6 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1480
Abstract
Background: Women’s rugby sevens is rapidly expanding, yet injury patterns remain poorly understood, limiting prevention strategies. This systematic review aimed to describe injury incidence, severity, burden, and risk factors across competitive levels. Methods: Original studies on senior or U19 women’s rugby [...] Read more.
Background: Women’s rugby sevens is rapidly expanding, yet injury patterns remain poorly understood, limiting prevention strategies. This systematic review aimed to describe injury incidence, severity, burden, and risk factors across competitive levels. Methods: Original studies on senior or U19 women’s rugby sevens reporting ≥ 2 epidemiological variables were included; studies on men, mixed samples without disaggregation, 15-a-side rugby, other sports, or players below U19 were excluded. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Scielo (last searched September 2024), supplemented by gray literature and hand searching. Risk of bias was assessed with ROBINS-I, and study quality was assessed with STROBE. Results were tabulated and synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity. Results: Fifteen studies were included. Injury incidence ranged from 40.5 to 153.6 per 1000 match h at the elite level and 26.5–46.3 at the community level. Severity was higher in elite players (45.6–124 days) than in community players (29.6–58.4 days). Lower-limb joint/ligament injuries predominated, contact (especially tackling) was the main mechanism, and injuries often occurred in the second half. Conclusions: Evidence was limited by small samples, inconsistent reporting, and a moderate risk of bias. Injuries are frequent and severe, especially in elite players, highlighting the need for targeted prevention and improved surveillance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Prevention and Recovery)
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