Visualisation of Studies on Knee Injuries in Football: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Football is a popular sport on a global scale, and injuries sustained by football players have become a significant concern for sports physicians and researchers. Among these injuries, knee injuries are a commonly encountered problem in football players with long-term effects. This paper aims to perform a visual mapping and a bibliometric analysis of research on knee injuries in football, examining the current state and research trends. For this purpose, all publications from the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) within the Web of Science database were analysed. VOSviewer 1.6.18 was utilised for visualising bibliometric data. A total of 2159 publications were included in the study. The analysis covers publication year, authors, citation counts, and distributions among publishing journals. Authors, institutions, and international relationships were investigated, and keyword analysis, bibliometric coupling, and co-citation network analyses were conducted. The findings reveal that the United States and Australia are the countries with the highest number of publications. From 2018, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of publications. Citation and publication counts reached their peak in 2021. Turkey takes the 28^th rank in terms of citation and centrality. The keywords “soccer,” “football,” “knee”, and “anterior cruciate ligament” were found to be intensively used with high centrality. In conclusion, visual mapping through bibliometric analysis highlights the magnitude and diversity of research in the field of knee injuries in football. It emphasises the need for further studies in this area for future researchers, shedding light on important research areas. Moreover, it provides insights into the prevention of such injuries in football players and the development of effective treatment strategies by fostering more knowledge and understanding of knee injuries.

Zusammenfassung

Fußball ist weltweit eine beliebte Sportart, und Verletzungen von Fußballspielern sind zu einer bedeutenden Sorge für Sportmediziner und Forscher geworden. Unter diesen Verletzungen sind Knieverletzungen ein häufig auftretendes Problem mit langfristigen Auswirkungen. Diese Arbeit zielt darauf ab, eine visuelle Kartierung und eine bibliometrische Analyse der Forschung zu Knieverletzungen im Fußball durchzuführen, um den aktuellen Stand und die Forschungstrends zu untersuchen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden alle Veröffentlichungen aus dem Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), dem Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), dem Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) und dem Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) innerhalb der Web-of-Science-Datenbank analysiert. Vosviewer 1.6.18 wurde zur Visualisierung bibliometrischer Daten verwendet. Insgesamt wurden 2159 Veröffentlichungen in die Studie einbezogen. Die Analyse umfasste das Veröffentlichungsjahr, die Autoren, die Zitationszahlen und die Verteilung in den veröffentlichenden Zeitschriften. Autoren, Institutionen und internationale Beziehungen wurden untersucht, und es wurden Schlüsselwortanalysen, bibliometrische Kopplungen und Co-Zitationsnetzwerkanalysen durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Vereinigten Staaten und Australien die Länder mit der höchsten Anzahl von Veröffentlichungen sind. Ab 2018 ist eine deutliche Zunahme der Veröffentlichungen zu verzeichnen. Zitations- und Veröffentlichungszahlen erreichten 2021 ihren Höhepunkt. Die Türkei belegt den 28. Platz in Bezug auf Zitation und Zentralität. Die Schlüsselwörter „soccer“, „football“, „knee“ und „anterior cruciate ligament“ wurden intensiv verwendet und wiesen eine hohe Zentralität auf. Zusammenfassend hebt die visuelle Kartierung durch die bibliometrische Analyse das Ausmaß und die Vielfalt der Forschung auf dem Gebiet der Knieverletzungen im Fußball hervor. Sie betont die Notwendigkeit weiterer Studien in diesem Bereich für zukünftige Forscher und wirft Licht auf wichtige Forschungsbereiche. Darüber hinaus bietet sie Einblicke in die Prävention solcher Verletzungen bei Fußballspielern und die Entwicklung wirksamer Behandlungsstrategien durch Förderung von mehr Wissen und Verständnis für Knieverletzungen.

Keywords

Bibliometric Analysis - Football - Knee Injury - Sports Medicine - Visualisation

Schlüsselwörter

bibliometrische Analyse - Fußball - Knieverletzung - Sportmedizin - Visualisierung

Publication History

Received: 20 November 2023

Accepted after revision: 30 May 2024

Article published online:
16 August 2024

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