Predicting Injury: Challenges in Prospective Injury Risk Factor Identification.
BACKGROUND
Musculoskeletal injury-prediction methods vary and may have limitations that affect the accuracy of results and clinical meaningfulness.


BACKGROUND
Research examining injury risk factors is meaningful, but attempting to extrapolate injury risk from studies that do not prospectively assess injury occurrence may limit clinical applications. Injury incidence is a vital outcome measure, which allows for the appropriate interpretation of injury-prediction analyses; a lack of injury-incidence data may decrease the accuracy and increase the uncertainty of injury-risk estimates. Extrapolating results that predict an injury risk factor to predicting actual injuries may lead to inappropriate clinical decision-making models.


CONCLUSIONS
Improved understanding of the limitations of injury-prediction methods, specifically those that do not prospectively assess injuries, will allow clinicians to better assess the clinical meaningfulness of the results.
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Daniel R
DR
Clifton
Division of Athletic Training, School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness, College of Health Sciences and Professions, and.|Ohio Musculoskeletal & Neurological Institute, Ohio University, Athens.
Dustin R
DR
Grooms
Department of Kinesiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Jay
J
Hertel
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
James A
JA
Onate
D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000293:injuries*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
athletic injuries; clinical decision making; injury prevention