Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Aug 11;3(3):173-89.

The genetics of sports injuries and athletic performance

Nicola Maffulli  1 , Katia Margiotti  2 , Umile Giuseppe Longo  3 , Mattia Loppini  3 , Vito Michele Fazio  2 , Vincenzo Denaro  3
Affiliations
Review

The genetics of sports injuries and athletic performance

Nicola Maffulli et al. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. .

Abstract

Purpose: in the last two decades, several evidences have been provided to support the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms and the susceptibility to develop injuries participating in sport and performance related to sports activity. We report up-to-date review of the genetics factors involved in tendon injuries and athletic performance.

Methods: we searched PubMed using the terms "sports injuries", "athletic performance" and "genetics" over the period 1990 to the present day. We also included non-English journals.

Results: most of the currently established or putative tendinopathy susceptibility loci have been analyzed by candidate gene studies. The genes currently associated with tendon injuries include gene encoding for collagen, matrix metallopeptidase, tenascin and growth factors. Several genes have been related to the physical performance phenotypes affecting endurance capacity and muscle performance. The most studied include ACE and ACTN3 genes.

Conclusions: genetics determines the response of an individual to the surrounding environment. Recently, some of the individual genetic variations contributing to the athletic performance and the onset of musculoskeletal injuries, particularly in tendon and ligament tissues, have been identified. However, the identification of the genetic background related to susceptibility to injuries and physical performance of the athletes is challenging yet and further studies must be performed to establish the specific role of each gene and the potential effect of the interaction of these.

Keywords: athletic performance; genetics; single nucleotide polymorphisms; sports injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Longo UG, Rittweger J, Garau G, Radonic B, Gutwasser C, et al. No influence of age, gender, weight, height, and impact profile in achilles tendinopathy in masters track and field athletes. Am J Sports Med. 2009;37:1400–1405. - PubMed
    1. Ames PR, Longo UG, Denaro V, Maffulli N. Achilles tendon problems: not just an orthopaedic issue. Disabil Rehabil. 2008;30:1646–1650. - PubMed
    1. Herring SA, Nilson KL. Introduction to overuse injuries. Clin Sports Med. 1987;6:225–239. - PubMed
    1. Maffulli N, Longo UG, Gougoulias N, Loppini M, Denaro V. Long-term health outcomes of youth sports injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2010;44:21–25. - PubMed
    1. Rees JD, Wilson AM, Wolman RL. Current concepts in the management of tendon disorders. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2006;45:508–521. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources