July 2026, Volume 4, Issue 7

Author

Raju Vaishya, Sudhir Shekhawat, Abhishek Vaish, Karthik Vishwanathan and Murali Poduval

Abstract

Background: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (OSM) research has expanded globally; however, regional disparities in productivity and impact persist. This bibliometric study analyzed the geographic trends in OSM publications. Methods: Data were manually extracted on 1 May 2026 from SCImago for the subject category OSM from 1996 to 2025. Key indicators used in this study included total and citable documents, citations and self-citations, citations per document (CPD), and H-index of six geographic regions. Pearson chi-square tests assessed associations between region and year for count variables. Kruskal-Wallis H tests compared median CPD and H-index across regions. Results: Total publications differed significantly across regions (?² (30)=6388.49, p<0.001), over time. Western Europe and Northern America consistently led in research output and citations. Asiatic Region showed the most rapid growth, particularly after 2010. Significant regional differences were observed in median CPD (H=12.90, p=0.024) and H-index (H=23.74, p<0.001), with North America maintaining the highest cumulative influence. Analysis of journal distribution in 2025 demonstrated marked regional disparities in journal representation and their quartile rankings (?²(15)=42.07, p<0.001). Western Europe and Northern America contributed the majority of Q1 journals. Pacific, Latin American, and African regions showed steady but comparatively smaller growth. Conclusions: While traditional leading regions maintain dominance, the global OSM research landscape is showing a shift to Asia. Persistent disparities in citation impact and H-index suggest the need for targeted capacity building in emerging regions to enhance research quality and visibility.