Spanish researchers have developed a new mathematical model that predicts sports injuries from a series of equations.

They claim that their work, published in the journal Apunts. Medicina de L’esport has proved that sport injuries that affect the lower limbs in high-impact sport, such as football, athletics or basketball, can be predicted through the use of equations of logistic regression.

According to the researchers, the identification of the factors that provoke injuries could allow trainers and sportsmen to modify training programmes and prevent future damage.

Now the researchers suggest that investigating the appropriate prevention, providing fast diagnosis and identifying the most suitable treatment may facilitate the sports career of sportsmen and help them to achieve their personal and professional goals and fulfil their potential.

They point out that there are three general factors that play a primary role in the risk of suffering an injury: incorrect training techniques, unsuitable or damaged equipment and biomechanical and anthropometrical abnormalities.

This last group of factors have been the starting point for their work, where they tried to find out the potential injury risk of a sportsman from certain anthropometric parameters in lower limbs.

And just for the record, the magic formula is 1/1 + e-(0,757 _ AQI – 0,647 _ DGM2) where AQI is the Q-angle of the left lower limb inferior, and DGM2, the square of the difference between the thickness of both thighs!

Source: Medical News Today