World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Physical Therapy in Sport
H-index 16

Physical Therapy in Sport

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Medicine 1955 45 82 13

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 58
Documents by Best Scientists*: 98
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 0
SCIMAGO H-index: 66
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.002
Impact Factor: 2.4

Overview

Top Research Topics at Physical Therapy in Sport?

The journal mostly deals with topics like Physical therapy, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Athletes, Rehabilitation and Ankle. The Range of motion studies presented in the journal fall under the field of Physical therapy, but it also has connections to other fields such as Injury prevention. The journal holds forums on Injury prevention that merges themes from other disciplines such as Suicide prevention and Human factors and ergonomics.

Issues in Physical medicine and rehabilitation were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Eccentric, Isometric exercise and Biomechanics. It explores research in Rehabilitation and the adjacent study of Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction research presented falls under the umbrella topic of Anterior cruciate ligament.

Topics in Reliability (statistics) were tackled in line with various other fields like Test (assessment) and Standard error.

  • Physical therapy (57.58%)
  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation (36.27%)
  • Athletes (15.75%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Consensus statement on Concussion in Sport - The 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012 (1949 citations)
  • Development and preliminary validation of a scale to measure the psychological impact of returning to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery (293 citations)
  • Horizontal and vertical jump assessment: reliability, symmetry, discriminative and predictive ability (227 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Physical Therapy in Sport:

The most cited papers focus on Physical therapy, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Athletes, Rehabilitation and Reliability (statistics). While work presented in the journal articles provide substantial information on Physical therapy, it also covers topics in Ankle, Intraclass correlation and Repeated measures design. The study of Physical medicine and rehabilitation in the published articles encompasses disciplines such as Randomized controlled trial, as well as fields such as MEDLINE, all of which overlap with one another.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Internal medicine
  • Surgery
  • Physical therapy

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Physical Therapy in Sport tackles a plethora of topics, such as Physical therapy, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Athletes, Rehabilitation and Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The journal discusses concepts in Hamstring under Physical therapy and how they intertwine with disciplines like Injury prevention. The research on Physical medicine and rehabilitation tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Biomechanics, Coronal plane, Ankle, Range of motion and Valgus.

The study on Ankle presented is investigated in conjunction with research in Confidence interval. The research on Athletes featured in the journal combines topics in other fields like Test (assessment) and Cohort. The Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction research discussed is included in the broader subject of Anterior cruciate ligament.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Neuromuscular control of the ankle during pre-landing in athletes with chronic ankle instability: Insights from statistical parametric mapping and muscle co-contraction analysis (4 citations)
  • Relationship between lumbopelvic-hip complex stability, muscle activity, and 2-dimensional kinematics of the trunk and lower extremity (3 citations)
  • Does lower-limb asymmetry increase injury risk in sport? A systematic review. (2 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Physical Therapy in Sport (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Zoe Hudson (31 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Lee Herrington (30 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Christian J Barton (19 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • Pedro Olavo de Paula Lima (17 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 5 more than at the previous edition,
  • Chris Whatman (16 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Physical Therapy in Sport (based on the number of publications) are:

  • American Physical Therapy Association (66 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition, 4 more than at the previous edition,
  • La Trobe University (65 papers) published 16 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • Auckland University of Technology (43 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • RMIT University (35 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • University of Salford (32 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 11.92% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 24.12% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 8.82% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 18.24% of all publications and 48.82% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Continuing Education Opportunities in Physical Therapy

To maintain their professional standing, physical therapists need to participate in continuing education opportunities to stay updated in the evolving field. These opportunities can be seminars, webinars, courses, and certain degree programs that deepen their knowledge and practical skills. For example, licensed practical nurse (LPN) programs provide therapists with practical nursing skills strengthening their capacity in providing comprehensive patient care. An essential aspect of these programs is that they offer a broad range of specialized courses tailored towards fostering a better understanding of the health sector at large. Thus, it improves the functionality and efficiency of physical therapists in their job roles. It is pertinent to note that some LPN programs are state-specific. For instance, in Illinois, multiple institutions offer LPN programs tailored to the state's health sector needs. Generally, these programs have been applauded for their depth and their practical approach. If you're a physical therapist in Illinois interested in such programs, you can explore some of the [best lpn programs in Illinois](https://research.com/degrees/best-lpn-programs-in-illinois). This section aims to point out the availability of such opportunities, but specific course or seminar options, their credibility, and their acceptance by professional bodies could vary. Physical therapists are encouraged to carefully evaluate any program before participation to ensure it aligns with their professional goals and meets the requirements of their licensing bodies. Hence, whether you're looking at specializing in a particular niche, or you're trying to stay abreast with the changes in the dynamics of the health industry, LPN programs and other specialized courses could be worth exploring. As always, the goal is to offer more value and build a more robust health sector, one health worker at a time.

Top Publications

  • Worse knee confidence, fear of movement, psychological readiness to return-to-sport and pain are associated with worse function after ACL reconstruction

    Harvi F. Hart;Adam G. Culvenor;Ali Guermazi;Kay M. Crossley

    (2020)
    68 Citations
  • Limb symmetry index on a functional test battery improves between one and five years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, primarily due to worsening contralateral limb function.

    Brooke E. Patterson;Kay M. Crossley;Luke G. Perraton;Avnish S. Kumar

    (2020)
    63 Citations
  • Many physiotherapists lack preparedness to prescribe physical activity and exercise to people with musculoskeletal pain: A multi-national survey.

    C J Barton;C J Barton;M G King;B Dascombe;N F Taylor

    (2021)
    48 Citations
  • Cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy to enhance return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: An open pilot study.

    Rogelio A. Coronado;Emma K. Sterling;Dana E. Fenster;Mackenzie L. Bird

    (2020)
    47 Citations
  • Exercise-induced hypoalgesia and pain reduction following blood flow restriction: A brief review.

    Jun Seob Song;Robert W. Spitz;Yujiro Yamada;Zachary W. Bell

    (2021)
    36 Citations
  • Extended reality in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and injury prevention - A systematic review.

    (2022)
    34 Citations
  • Rehabilitation strategies of Flemish physical therapists before and after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: An online survey.

    (2021)
    25 Citations
  • Self-reported jumpers’ knee is common in elite basketball athletes – But is it all patellar tendinopathy?

    Madeline Hannington;Sean Docking;Jill Cook;Suzi Edwards

    (2020)
    25 Citations
  • Sports injury prevention programmes from the sports physical therapist's perspective: An international expert Delphi approach.

    (2022)
    24 Citations
  • Injury surveillance of an Australian community netball club

    Melinda M. Franettovich Smith;M. Dilani Mendis;Alexander Parker;Brittany Grantham

    (2020)
    20 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in advancing their medical careers, several online degree options complement traditional Medicine studies in the USA. Registered nurses looking to elevate their credentials can explore capella vs chamberlain rn to bsn programs, which compare key features and benefits of these popular online options. These programs often offer flexible schedules for working professionals.

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal