Risk factors and injury prevention in open-skill sports: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis with data visualization

Abstract

Background and purpose. Prevention of injuries in athletes - representatives of open-skill sports should take into account the multifactorial nature of injury risks, and, accordingly, its prevention. Purpose: to identify and systematize the main areas of research on the risk of injury and their relationships in open-skill sports based on the results of bibliometric analysis with data visualization and, based on data systematization, to determine the leading factors of injury risks and means of injury prevention. Material and methods. The search for sources was carried out according to the recommendations of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) in the scientific and metric databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed. The following keywords were used for the primary search: “Injuries” AND “sport” AND “factor” AND “regression”. Bibliometric analysis and visualization (keyword co-occurrence, geographical distribution, co-authorship, and citation networks) were performed using VOSviewer software. Results. In studies, along with traditional injury risk factors (overstrain, fatigue, the presence of previous injuries and lack of special coordination abilities), by using nonlinear multivariate regression analysis, the authors determine the high reliability of psychological injury risk factors, as well as anthropometric indicators (length and body weight) and age and gender of athletes. The majority of studies are aimed at identifying risks of the anterior cruciate ligament. Risk factors for the anterior cruciate ligament include previous injury, young age, poor coordination skills, psychological factors (somatic anxiety, mental anxiety, susceptibility to stress and irritability), activity level, functional performance, muscle strength, jumping performance. Hallux valgus as a factor in injury remains a debatable issue. Conclusion. A positive effect of neuromuscular training (visualization of muscle work, balance exercises, coordination development, slow-paced exercises, etc.) on reducing the risk of injury, especially in women, was found. It was determined that the nonlinear multifactorial regression method is more effective in determining risk factors for injury compared to the Korch univariate linear regression method.