GENETIC AND BIOMECHANICAL PREDICTORS OF SPORTS INJURY RISK: ADVANCING PERSONALIZED TRAINING AND REHABILITATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Sports injury susceptibility is influenced by complex interactions among genetic, anthropometric, and prior injury characteristics. This study examined whether ACTN3 rs1815739 polymorphism contributes to musculoskeletal injury occurrence and burden and whether its effects remain evident after accounting for selected participant-level risk factors. A quantitative observational analysis was conducted among 80 participants classified as RR, RX, or XX genotypes. Age, body weight, height, body mass index, body-fat percentage, previous injury history, injury phenotype, cumulative injury burden, and injuries across four observation periods were evaluated. Group differences were assessed using one-way ANOVA, Pearson's chi square test, and the Kruskal-Walli’s test, while multivariable binary logistic regression identified independent predictors of injury occurrence. Overall, 60.0% of participants experienced at least one injury. Injury prevalence was highest among XX carriers (73.3%), followed by RR (61.5%) and RX (53.8%) participants, although genotype differences were not statistically significant. XX carriers demonstrated an adjusted injury odds ratio of 2.18 relative to RR carriers, whereas previous injury history produced the strongest non-genetic association (OR = 2.44). Anthropometric variables were not significant independent predictors. A significant genotype difference was observed only for injury burden in Period 4. These findings indicate that ACTN3 genotype may contribute to injury susceptibility within a broader multifactorial framework. Personalized prevention and rehabilitation strategies should therefore integrate genetic information with previous injury, longitudinal monitoring, and future biomechanical assessment.