Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Subfield · Medicine

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 273k research works in it since 1950. 16.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of medicine dealing with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles.

Research works
273k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
44k
per year above
Top-10% rate
16.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
7
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+27%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Epidemiology, Muscle Injuries, Sports Injury, Performance Analysis, Training Load, Bone Mineral Density. Gaining share since 2009–13: Muscle Injuries, Sports Injury, Epidemiology. Losing share: Bone Mineral Density, Fractures, Bone Density, Muscle Strength.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 15 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology24k▲ 1.26×2 topics
  2. Muscle Injuries17k▲ 1.35×1 topic
  3. Sports Injury17k▲ 1.35×1 topic
  4. Performance Analysis16k◆ 1.12×1 topic
  5. Training Load16k◆ 1.12×1 topic
  6. Bone Mineral Density9,260▼ 0.67×1 topic
  7. Fractures9,260▼ 0.67×1 topic
  8. Extracellular Matrix8,285◆ 1.00×1 topic
  9. Tendon8,285◆ 1.00×1 topic
  10. Ankle Injuries7,408◆ 1.09×1 topic
  11. Sprains7,408◆ 1.09×1 topic
  12. Femoral Head6,107▼ 0.82×1 topic
  13. Osteonecrosis6,107▼ 0.82×1 topic
  14. Bone Density2,332▼ 0.76×1 topic
  15. Muscle Strength2,332▼ 0.76×1 topic

Which countries lead Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and the United Kingdom rank highest in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (9.8k and 6.4k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #3 all time 22.7% top 10% · 6.4k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 12.6% top 10% · 9.8k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #2 all time 21.0% top 10% · 2.8k works
  4. 4 Australia · #4 all time 21.2% top 10% · 1.6k works
  5. 5 Spain · #9 all time 18.5% top 10% · 2.3k works
  6. 6 Italy · #7 all time 22.3% top 10% · 1.6k works
  7. 7 Germany · #6 all time 18.0% top 10% · 1.8k works
  8. 8 Canada · #5 all time 17.2% top 10% · 1.2k works
  9. 9 Japan · #14 all time 9.3% top 10% · 2.4k works
  10. 10 Switzerland · #11 all time 18.1% top 10% · 634 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 45 countries ranked in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 9.8k works
  2. 2 China 6.4k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom 2.8k works
  4. 4 Japan 2.4k works
  5. 5 India 2.4k works
  6. 6 Türkiye 2.3k works
  7. 7 Spain 2.3k works
  8. 8 Brazil 2.1k works
  9. 9 Germany 1.8k works
  10. 10 Italy 1.6k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 28.9%China: 18.9%United Kingdom: 8.3%Japan: 7.2%6 others listed: 36.7%29%largest
United States9,769 · 28.9%China6,371 · 18.9%United Kingdom2,817 · 8.3%Japan2,416 · 7.2%6 others listed12k · 36.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research?

Edith Cowan University (Australia) ranks first in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Sichuan University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Edith Cowan University Australia · Perth · #17 all time 31.5% top 10% · 73 works
  2. 2 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #66 all time 32.3% top 10% · 83 works
  3. 3 Sichuan University China · Chengdu 32.4% top 10% · 78 works
  4. 4 Beijing Sport University China · Beijing 23.1% top 10% · 136 works
  5. 5 Shanghai University of Sport China · Shanghai 25.6% top 10% · 102 works
  6. 6 Universidad de Granada Spain · Granada · #77 all time 20.9% top 10% · 97 works
  7. 7 German Sport University Cologne Germany · Cologne · #92 all time 20.9% top 10% · 118 works
  8. 8 Hospital for Special Surgery United States · New York · #6 all time 16.6% top 10% · 141 works
  9. 9 University of Calgary Canada · Calgary · #12 all time 18.9% top 10% · 104 works
  10. 10 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #2 all time 19.1% top 10% · 102 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 52 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Top 100 Orthopedics and Sports Medicine institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Hospital for Special SurgeryUnited States 141 works
  2. 2 Beijing Sport UniversityChina 137 works
  3. 3 La Trobe UniversityAustralia 123 works
  4. 4 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States 119 works
  5. 5 German Sport University CologneGermany 118 works
  6. 6 Universidade de São PauloBrazil 115 works
  7. 7 Yogyakarta State UniversityIndonesia 111 works
  8. 8 University of CalgaryCanada 104 works
  9. 9 Shanghai University of SportChina 102 works
  10. 10 Harvard UniversityUnited States 102 works

Who are the leading researchers in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine?

Among the most productive authors in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Gordon Guyatt, Cyrus Cooper and Rachelle Buchbinder rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Gordon Guyatt Canada · #11 worldwide 6.8k citations · 254 works
  2. 2 Cyrus Cooper United Kingdom · #144 worldwide 7.2k citations · 486 works
  3. 3 Rachelle Buchbinder Australia · #147 worldwide 3.5k citations · 131 works
  4. 4 Darwin J. Prockop United States · #175 worldwide 3.8k citations · 131 works
  5. 5 Flavia Cicuttini Australia · #232 worldwide 3.2k citations · 152 works
  6. 6 Robert P. Heaney United States · #377 worldwide 2k citations · 143 works
  7. 7 René Rizzoli Switzerland · #500 worldwide 2.1k citations · 124 works
  8. 8 Michael F. Holick United States · #647 worldwide 2.8k citations · 167 works
  9. 9 Russell F. Warren United States · #752 worldwide 1.7k citations · 113 works
  10. 10 John А. Kanis United Kingdom · #770 worldwide 2.3k citations · 104 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 4,624 highest-output authors in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Orthopedics and Sports Medicine researchers

Where is Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research done?

The largest centres of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Tokyo (Japan), Shanghai (China) and Seoul (South Korea). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Westerville and Mihályi.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 911 works
  2. 2 Tokyo Japan 683 works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 664 works
  4. 4 Seoul South Korea 598 works
  5. 5 London United Kingdom 553 works
  6. 6 Istanbul Türkiye 482 works
  7. 7 New York United States 481 works
  8. 8 São Paulo Brazil 466 works
  9. 9 Madrid Spain 426 works
  10. 10 Melbourne Australia 392 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. WestervilleUS · 34.4 works71×
  2. MihályiHU · 26.4 works47×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine than the world average.

See Orthopedics and Sports Medicine on the map

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research by country

The best places for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Orthopedics and Sports Medicine?

Among universities, judged by research, Leeds Beckett University, Universidad Europea de Madrid and Edith Cowan University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 27.24%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Leeds Beckett University: 57, 30.2%Universidad Europea de Madrid: 67, 23.2%Edith Cowan University: 73, 31.5%Akademii Wychowania Fizycznego im. Jerzego Kukuczki w Katowicach: 54, 24.3%Universidad de Extremadura: 98, 24.3%Middlesex University: 30, 41.1%German Sport University Cologne: 118, 20.9%Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences: 59, 27.8%Shanghai University of Sport: 102, 25.6%Nord University: 40, 23.5%Edith Cowan UniversityLeeds Beckett Univer…Akademii Wychowania …Universidad Europea …
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Leeds Beckett UniversityUnited Kingdom 72.530.2%14.0×57 +194.9%
2 Universidad Europea de MadridSpain 69.823.2%22.1×67 +172.1%
3 Edith Cowan UniversityAustralia 69.031.5%10.1×73 +42.3%
4 Akademii Wychowania Fizycznego im. Jerzego Kukuczki w KatowicachPoland 68.424.3%66.1×54 +219.9%
5 Universidad de ExtremaduraSpain 67.124.3%9.4×98 +103.4%
6 Middlesex UniversityUnited Kingdom 66.941.1%10.6×30 +95.2%
7 German Sport University CologneGermany 66.820.9%38.6×118 +74.7%
8 Wroclaw University of Health and Sport SciencesPoland 66.327.8%57.4×59 +119.0%
9 Shanghai University of SportChina 65.325.6%33.7×102 +30.8%
10 Nord UniversityNorway 64.223.5%12.2×40 +167.7%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Orthopedics and Sports Medicine research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 27% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Sports injuries and prevention, Foot and Ankle Surgery and Sports Performance and Training.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Sports injuries and prevention+156%
  2. Foot and Ankle Surgery+124%
  3. Sports Performance and Training+113%
  4. Tendon Structure and Treatment+95%
  5. Effects of Vibration on Health+81%
  6. Bone and Joint Diseases+63%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Orthopedics and Sports Medicine include?

Sports Performance and T…64kSports Performance and Training: 64k fractional worksSports injuries and prev…59kSports injuries and prevention: 59k fractional worksBone health and osteoporosis research: 49k fractional worksTendon Structure and Tre…34kTendon Structure and Treatment: 34k fractional worksFoot and Ankle Surgery29kFoot and Ankle Surgery: 29k fractional worksBone and Joint Diseases: 28k fractional worksEffects of Vibration on Health: 11k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.