The current situation, hotspots and trend prospects of sports injury rehabilitation research: A bibliometric visualization analysis based on CiteSpace

The risk of injury associated with physical activity cannot be overlooked. Thus, there is an urgent need for targeted injury prevention and intervention strategies to mitigate the physical, psychological, and economic burdens associated with sports-related injuries. Effective rehabilitation techniques not only help injured individuals regain function and return to sports but also can explore the potential mechanisms of injuries to reduce risks. By integrating knowledge and methods from multiple disciplines such as sports medicine, demography, and biomechanics, research in this field can provide a scientific basis for formulating personalized protection and rehabilitation strategies for different populations and sports, thereby effectively alleviating the individual and social burdens caused by sports injuries. Existing literatures primarily focus on micro-level interventions, such as balance training, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of ankle injuries in football players. It is particularly important to conduct a systematic review and integration of research on sports injury rehabilitation. However, there is a lack of visualization analysis of the global research trends and thematic evolution of sports injury rehabilitation at present from a macro perspective. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive search of relevant literature on sports injury rehabilitation from 1990 to 2024 utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) via CiteSpace and VOSviewer to demonstrate the current research hotspots and future growth trends in the field.