Classic Papers in Sports Medicine

Pool built 2026-09-22 · All specialties

These are the 100 most-cited papers published in the Sports Medicine journals, ranked by lifetime citations (via OpenAlex; retracted papers excluded). The daily digest draws its classic slot from this pool — subscribe to get one with your new articles, or browse the Sports Medicine archive.

1. Biomechanical Measures of Neuromuscular Control and Valgus Loading of the Knee Predict Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk in Female Athletes: A Prospective Study

   Timothy E. Hewett, Gregory D. Myer, Kevin R. Ford et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 3,587 times

2. The Basic Science of Articular Cartilage: Structure, Composition, and Function

   Alice J. S. Fox, Asheesh Bedi, Scott A. Rodeo — Sports Health · 2009 · cited 2,814 times

3. Evaluation of knee ligament surgery results with special emphasis on use of a scoring scale

   Jack Lysholm, Jan Gillquist — Am J Sports Med · 1982 · cited 2,802 times

4. The Long-term Consequence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus Injuries

   Stefan Lohmander, Martin Englund, Ludvig L. Dahl et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2007 · cited 2,314 times

5. Development and Validation of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form

   James J. Irrgang, Allen F. Anderson, Arthur L. Boland et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2001 · cited 2,190 times

6. Factors of patellar instability: An anatomic radiographic study

   H Dejour, Gilles Walch, Laurent Nové-Josserand et al. — Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 1994 · cited 2,058 times

7. Traumatic glenohumeral bone defects and their relationship to failure of arthroscopic Bankart repairs

   Stephen S. Burkhart, J.F. de Beer — Arthroscopy · 2000 · cited 1,909 times

8. Knee Injury Patterns Among Men and Women in Collegiate Basketball and Soccer

   Elizabeth A. Arendt, Randall W. Dick — Am J Sports Med · 1995 · cited 1,620 times

9. Evaluation of knee ligament injuries with the IKDC form

   E. Hefti, Wernér E.G. Müller, R. P. Jakob et al. — Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 1993 · cited 1,572 times

10. The Effect of Neuromuscular Training on the Incidence of Knee Injury in Female Athletes

    Timothy E. Hewett, Thomas N. Lindenfeld, Jennifer Riccobene et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1999 · cited 1,558 times

11. SLAP lesions of the shoulder

    Stephen J. Snyder, Ronald P. Karzeł, Wilson Del Pizzo et al. — Arthroscopy · 1990 · cited 1,520 times

12. Kinetics of Baseball Pitching with Implications About Injury Mechanisms

    Glenn S. Fleisig, James R. Andrews, Charles J. Dillman et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1995 · cited 1,516 times

13. Epidemiology of Muscle Injuries in Professional Football (Soccer)

    Jan Ekstrand, Martin Hägglund, Markus Waldén — Am J Sports Med · 2011 · cited 1,485 times

14. Scoring of patellofemoral disorders

    Urho M. Kujala, L H Jaakkola, Seppo K. Koskinen et al. — Arthroscopy · 1993 · cited 1,461 times

15. Cartilage injuries: A review of 31,516 knee arthroscopies

    Walton W. Curl, Jonathan Krome, E. Stanley Gordon et al. — Arthroscopy · 1997 · cited 1,414 times

16. Biomechanical Measures during Landing and Postural Stability Predict Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Return to Sport

    Mark V. Paterno, Laura C. Schmitt, Kevin R. Ford et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2010 · cited 1,362 times

17. Risk of Secondary Injury in Younger Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

    Amelia J. Wiggins, Ravi K. Grandhi, Daniel K. Schneider et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2016 · cited 1,345 times

18. Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears and Reconstruction

    Thomas L. Sanders, Hilal Maradit Kremers, Andrew J. Bryan et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2016 · cited 1,333 times

19. Platelet-Rich Plasma

    Timothy E. Foster, Brian L. Puskas, Bert R. Mandelbaum et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2009 · cited 1,329 times

20. The disabled throwing shoulder: Spectrum of pathology part I: Pathoanatomy and biomechanics

    Stephen S. Burkhart, Craig D. Morgan, W. Ben Kibler — Arthroscopy · 2003 · cited 1,327 times

21. Injury Mechanisms for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Team Handball

    Odd-Egil Olsen, Grethe Myklebust, Lars Engebretsen et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2004 · cited 1,314 times

22. The Role of the Scapula in Athletic Shoulder Function

    W. Ben Kibler — Am J Sports Med · 1998 · cited 1,253 times

23. Fate of the ACL-injured Patient

    Dale M. Daniel, Mary Lou Stone, Barbara E. Dobson et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1994 · cited 1,246 times

24. Microvasculature of the human meniscus

    Steven P. Arnoczky, Russell F. Warren — Am J Sports Med · 1982 · cited 1,239 times

25. Outcomes of microfracture for traumatic chondral defects of the knee: Average 11‐year follow‐up

    J. Richard Steadman, Karen K. Briggs, Juan J. Rodrigo et al. — Arthroscopy · 2003 · cited 1,228 times

26. Mechanisms of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Basketball

    Tron Krosshaug, Atsuo Nakamae, Barry P. Boden et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2006 · cited 1,209 times

27. Heavy-Load Eccentric Calf Muscle Training For the Treatment of Chronic Achilles Tendinosis

    Håkan Alfredson, Tom Pietilä, Per Jönsson et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1998 · cited 1,208 times

28. Epidemiology and Natural History of Acute Patellar Dislocation

    Donald C. Fithian, Elizabeth W. Paxton, Mary Lou Stone et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2004 · cited 1,207 times

29. Tensile properties of the human femur-anterior cruciate ligament-tibia complex

    Savio L‐Y. Woo, J. Marcus Hollis, Douglas J. Adams et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1991 · cited 1,201 times

30. Accelerated rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

    K. Donald Shelbourne, Paul A. Nitz — Am J Sports Med · 1990 · cited 1,201 times

31. Effectiveness of a Neuromuscular and Proprioceptive Training Program in Preventing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes

    Bert R. Mandelbaum, Holly J. Silvers, Diane S. Watanabe et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 1,138 times

32. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes

    Timothy E. Hewett, Gregory D. Myer, Kevin R. Ford — Am J Sports Med · 2006 · cited 1,089 times

33. Muscle Injuries

    Tero A.H. Järvinen, Teppo L. N. Järvinen, Minna Kääriäinen et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 1,074 times

34. Understanding and Preventing Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

    Letha Y. Griffin, Marjorie J. Albohm, Elizabeth A. Arendt et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2006 · cited 1,053 times

35. Plyometric Training in Female Athletes

    Timothy E. Hewett, Amanda L. Stroupe, T.A. Nance et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1996 · cited 1,021 times

36. Clinical Efficacy of the Microfracture Technique for Articular Cartilage Repair in the Knee

    Kai Mithoefer, Timothy R. McAdams, Riley J. Williams et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2009 · cited 1,017 times

37. Abnormal lower limb symmetry determined by function hop tests after anterior cruciate ligament rupture

    Frank R. Noyes, Sue D. Barber, Robert E. Mangine — Am J Sports Med · 1991 · cited 995 times

38. Glenoid labrum tears related to the long head of the biceps

    James R. Andrews, W. G. Carson, William D. McLeod — Am J Sports Med · 1985 · cited 994 times

39. Incidence and Trends of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in the United States

    Nathan A. Mall, Peter N. Chalmers, Mario Moric et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2014 · cited 993 times

40. Biomechanical Analysis of an Anatomic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

    Masayoshi Yagi, Eric Wong, Akihiro Kanamori et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2002 · cited 990 times

41. Stress fractures in athletes

    G. O. Matheson, D. B. Clement, Donald C. McKenzie et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1987 · cited 988 times

42. Soft Tissue Restraints to Lateral Patellar Translation in the Human Knee

    Stephen M. Desio, Robert T. Burks, Kent N. Bachus — Am J Sports Med · 1998 · cited 985 times

43. Impingement syndrome in athletes

    Richard J. Hawkins, John C. Kennedy — Am J Sports Med · 1980 · cited 982 times

44. Fatty Infiltration and Atrophy of the Rotator Cuff do not Improve after Rotator Cuff Repair and Correlate with Poor Functional Outcome

    James N. Gladstone, Julie Y. Bishop, Ian K.Y. Lo et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2007 · cited 977 times

45. Strength Imbalances and Prevention of Hamstring Injury in Professional Soccer Players

    Jean‐Louis Croisier, S. Ganteaume, Johnny Binet et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2008 · cited 976 times

46. Epidemiology of Concussions Among United States High School Athletes in 20 Sports

    Mallika Marar, Natalie M. McIlvain, Sarah K. Fields et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2012 · cited 956 times

47. Articular and ligamentous contributions to the stability of the elbow joint

    B.F. Morrey, Kai‐Nan An — Am J Sports Med · 1983 · cited 951 times

48. The Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of the Lysholm Score and Tegner Activity Scale for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries of the Knee

    Karen K. Briggs, Jack Lysholm, Yelverton Tegner et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2009 · cited 945 times

49. Articular cartilage defects in 1,000 knee arthroscopies

    Karin M. Hjelle, Eirik Solheim, Torbjørn Strand et al. — Arthroscopy · 2002 · cited 943 times

50. The disabled throwing shoulder: spectrum of pathology part III: the SICK scapula, scapular dyskinesis, the kinetic chain, and rehabilitation

    Stephen S. Burkhart, Craig D. Morgan, W. Ben Kibler — Arthroscopy · 2003 · cited 939 times

51. Mechanisms for Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

    Hideyuki Koga, Atsuo Nakamae, Yosuke Shima et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2010 · cited 938 times

52. Deficits in Neuromuscular Control of the Trunk Predict Knee Injury Risk

    Bohdanna T. Zazulak, Timothy E. Hewett, N. Peter Reeves et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2007 · cited 937 times

53. Risk Factors for Injuries in Football

    Árni Árnason, Stefán B. Sigurðsson, Árni Guðmundsson et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2004 · cited 937 times

54. Functional and Structural Outcome After Arthroscopic Full‐Thickness Rotator Cuff Repair: Single‐Row Versus Dual‐Row Fixation

    Hiroyuki Sugaya, Kazuhiko Maeda, Keisuke Matsuki et al. — Arthroscopy · 2005 · cited 936 times

55. Treatment of Chronic Elbow Tendinosis with Buffered Platelet-Rich Plasma

    Allan Mishra, Terri Pavelko — Am J Sports Med · 2006 · cited 917 times

56. Prevalence of Jumper's Knee among Elite Athletes from Different Sports: A Cross-sectional Study

    Ø. Lian, Lars Engebretsen, Roald Bahr — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 914 times

57. Prevention of non‐contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 1: Mechanisms of injury and underlying risk factors

    Eduard Alentorn‐Geli, Gregory D. Myer, Holly J. Silvers et al. — Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 2009 · cited 900 times

58. A Meta‐analysis of the Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears as a Function of Gender, Sport, and a Knee Injury–Reduction Regimen

    Chadwick C. Prodromos, Yung Han, Julie Rogowski et al. — Arthroscopy · 2007 · cited 896 times

59. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball and Soccer: A 13-Year Review

    Julie Agel, Elizabeth A. Arendt, Boris Bershadsky — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 884 times

60. Muscular coactivation

    R. Baratta, Moshe Solomonow, Bing Zhou et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1988 · cited 880 times

61. Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation

    Lars Peterson, Mats Brittberg, Illka Kiviranta et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2002 · cited 876 times

62. Clinical Results of Arthroscopic Superior Capsule Reconstruction for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

    Teruhisa Mihata, Thay Q. Lee, Chisato Watanabe et al. — Arthroscopy · 2013 · cited 869 times

63. Effects of Increasing Tibial Slope on the Biomechanics of the Knee

    J. Robert Giffin, Tracy M. Vogrin, Thore Zantop et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2004 · cited 858 times

64. Epidemiology of Concussion in Collegiate and High School Football Players

    Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Nancy L. Weaver, Darin A. Padua et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2000 · cited 857 times

65. Incidence of Second ACL Injuries 2 Years After Primary ACL Reconstruction and Return to Sport

    Mark V. Paterno, Mitchell J. Rauh, Laura C. Schmitt et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2014 · cited 841 times

66. Meniscal tears: The effect of meniscectomy and of repair on intraarticular contact areas and stress in the human knee

    Mark E. Baratz, Freddie H. Fu, Richard Mengato — Am J Sports Med · 1986 · cited 833 times

67. Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Metaanalysis Comparing Patellar Tendon and Hamstring Tendon Autografts

    Kevin B. Freedman, Michael D’Amato, David D. Nedeff et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2003 · cited 814 times

68. The Role of Proprioception in the Management and Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries

    Scott M. Lephart, Danny M. Pincivero, Jorge L. Giraido et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1997 · cited 807 times

69. The synergistic action of the anterior cruciate ligament and thigh muscles in maintaining joint stability

    Moshe Solomonow, R. Baratta, Bing Zhou et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1987 · cited 807 times

70. Injuries to runners

    Stanley L. James, Barry T. Bates, Louis R. Osternig — Am J Sports Med · 1978 · cited 795 times

71. Nerve supply of the human knee and its functional importance

    John C. Kennedy, Ian J. Alexander, Keith C. Hayes — Am J Sports Med · 1982 · cited 786 times

72. Treatment With Platelet-Rich Plasma Is More Effective Than Placebo for Knee Osteoarthritis

    Sandeep Patel, Mandeep Singh Dhillon, Sameer Aggarwal et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2013 · cited 773 times

73. Effect of Pitch Type, Pitch Count, and Pitching Mechanics on Risk of Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Youth Baseball Pitchers

    Stephen Lyman, Glenn S. Fleisig, James R. Andrews et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2002 · cited 773 times

74. A Brief Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) Assessment to Evaluate Concussions

    Anne Mucha, Michael W. Collins, R.J. Elbin et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2014 · cited 759 times

75. The frequency of injury, mechanism of injury, and epidemiology of ankle sprains*

    James G. Garrick — Am J Sports Med · 1977 · cited 759 times

76. Overuse tendon conditions: Time to change a confusing terminology

    Nicola Maffulli — Arthroscopy · 1998 · cited 756 times

77. A biomechanical comparison of different surgical techniques of graft fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

    Masahiro Kurosaka, Shinichi Yoshiya, Jack T. Andrish — Am J Sports Med · 1987 · cited 751 times

78. Prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer

    A. Caraffa, G. Cerulli, M. Projetti et al. — Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 1996 · cited 742 times

79. Evolving Concept of Bipolar Bone Loss and the Hill‐Sachs Lesion: From “Engaging/Non‐Engaging” Lesion to “On‐Track/Off‐Track” Lesion

    Giovanni Di Giacomo, Eiji Itoi, Stephen S. Burkhart — Arthroscopy · 2014 · cited 740 times

80. Current Concepts in the Rehabilitation of the Overhead Throwing Athlete

    Kevin E. Wilk, Keith Meister, James R. Andrews — Am J Sports Med · 2002 · cited 738 times

81. The Development and Evaluation of a Disease-Specific Quality of Life Measurement Tool for Shoulder Instability

    Alexandra Kirkley, Sharon Griffin, Heidi McLintock et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1998 · cited 736 times

82. Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis Reduces Failure of Hamstring Tendon Autograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: 2-Year Outcomes From the STABILITY Study Randomized Clinical Trial

    Alan Getgood, Dianne Bryant, Robert Litchfield et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2020 · cited 732 times

83. Fear of re‐injury: a hindrance for returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

    Joanna Kvist, Anna Ek, Katja Sporrstedt et al. — Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 2005 · cited 732 times

84. Viscoelastic properties of muscle-tendon units

    Dean C. Taylor, James Dalton, Anthony V. Seaber et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1990 · cited 729 times

85. Abnormal Rotational Knee Motion during Running after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

    Scott Tashman, David Collon, Kyle Anderson et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2004 · cited 724 times

86. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes

    Timothy E. Hewett, Kevin R. Ford, Gregory D. Myer — Am J Sports Med · 2005 · cited 715 times

87. Patellofemoral problems after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

    Raymond A. Sachs, Dale M. Daniel, Mary Lou Stone et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1989 · cited 713 times

88. Radiographic Landmarks for Femoral Tunnel Placement in Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction

    Philip B. Schöttle, Arno Schmeling, Nikolaus Rosenstiel et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2007 · cited 712 times

89. Muscle Flexibility as a Risk Factor for Developing Muscle Injuries in Male Professional Soccer Players

    Erik Witvrouw, Lieven Danneels, P. Asselman et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2003 · cited 712 times

90. The Effect of Foot Structure and Range of Motion on Musculoskeletal Overuse Injuries

    Kenton R. Kaufman, Stephanie K. Brodine, Richard A. Shaffer et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1999 · cited 712 times

91. Knee stability and graft function following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Comparison between 11 o'clock and 10 o'clock femoral tunnel placement

    John C. Loh, Yukihisa Fukuda, Eiichi Tsuda et al. — Arthroscopy · 2003 · cited 708 times

92. Preseason strength and flexibility imbalances associated with athletic injuries in female collegiate athletes

    Joseph J. Knapik, Connie L. Bauman, Bruce H. Jones et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1991 · cited 699 times

93. Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation

    Lars Peterson, Haris S. Vasiliadis, Mats Brittberg et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2010 · cited 695 times

94. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) Is a Valid and Reliable Clinical Assessment Tool of Jump-Landing Biomechanics

    Darin A. Padua, Stephen W. Marshall, Michelle C. Boling et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2009 · cited 692 times

95. Positive Effect of an Autologous Platelet Concentrate in Lateral Epicondylitis in a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

    Joost C. Peerbooms, Jordi Sluimer, Daniël J. Bruijn et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2010 · cited 691 times

96. Risk Factors Associated with Noncontact Injury of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

    John M. Uhorchak, Charles R. Scoville, Glenn N. Williams et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2003 · cited 691 times

97. Redefining “Critical” Bone Loss in Shoulder Instability

    James S. Shaha, Jay B. Cook, Daniel J. Song et al. — Am J Sports Med · 2015 · cited 686 times

98. The anatomy and histology of the inferior glenohumeral ligament complex of the shoulder

    Stephen J. O’Brien, Manuel Cassiano Neves, Steven P. Arnoczky et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1990 · cited 682 times

99. Instrumented measurement of anterior knee laxity in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament disruption

    Dale M. Daniel, Mary Lou Stone, Raymond A. Sachs et al. — Am J Sports Med · 1985 · cited 681 times

100. The microvasculature of the meniscus and its response to injury

     Steven P. Arnoczky, Russell F. Warren — Am J Sports Med · 1983 · cited 681 times

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