Professor Kristian Thorborg
Kristian Thorborg is the Group and Theme Lead for the Copenhagen – Applied Sports Injury Prevention and orthopedic rehabilitation REsearch group (C-ASPIRE). C-ASPIRE is formed by Professor Kristian Thorborg and involves group coordinator and Physiotherapist, MSc. Laura Krohn, Physiotherapist and PhD student, Charlotte Anker-Petersen, Physiotherapist and PhD student Mathias Fabricius Nielsen, Certified Sports Physiotherapist Christina Ramos Stavngaard and Certified Sports Physiotherapist Dorthe Ryberg. The groups research activity currently involves 10 PhD students and 3 master students, including internal and external scholarships and projects.
Background
Injuries from sports, exercise and physical activity affect most of the population during their lifetime, and significantly reduce the level of function and quality of life. The research approach is interdisciplinary and translational and deals with prevention and treatment of orthopedic injuries and pain in muscles, tendons and joints. The research spans from basic understanding of mechanisms of action and dosing of specific training and load principles to large clinical randomized trials on intervention effects.
Focus
We want to understand if and how strength training, corrective exercise and physical activity can help to prevent traumatic and overuse injury, and enhance recovery after arthroscopy, and joint preserving and replacement surgery. This as part of a step-based care model where a non-operative treatment approach is for the most our first line approach. We are particularly interested in easy applicable clinical solutions for both orthopedic injury prevention and rehabilitation, that are developed in collaboration with end users such as patients, athletes and clinicians. We also focus on improving clinical research methodology and develop tools and technology that can help us to address important clinical problems and research questions, at a more advanced level.
Selected outputs
Thorborg K, Hölmich P, Christensen R, Petersen J, Roos EM. The Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS): development and validation according to the COSMIN checklist. Br J Sports Med. 2011 May;45(6):478-91. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2010.080937. Erratum in: Br J Sports Med. 2011 Jul;45(9):742. PMID: 21478502.
Petersen J, Thorborg K, Nielsen MB, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Hölmich P. Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men's soccer: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2011 Nov;39(11):2296-303. doi: 10.1177/0363546511419277. Epub 2011 Aug 8. PMID: 21825112.
Thorborg K, Krommes KK, Esteve E, Clausen MB, Bartels EM, Rathleff MS. Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Apr;51(7):562-571. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097066. Epub 2017 Jan 13. PMID: 28087568.
Thorborg K, Reiman MP, Weir A, Kemp JL, Serner A, Mosler AB, HÖlmich P. Clinical Examination, Diagnostic Imaging, and Testing of Athletes With Groin Pain: An Evidence-Based Approach to Effective Management. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2018 Apr;48(4):239-249. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2018.7850. Epub 2018 Mar 6. PMID: 29510653.
Harøy J, Clarsen B, Wiger EG, Øyen MG, Serner A, Thorborg K, Hölmich P, Andersen TE, Bahr R. The Adductor Strengthening Programme prevents groin problems among male football players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Feb;53(3):150-157. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098937. Epub 2018 Jun 10. PMID: 29891614.
Lysdal FG, Bandholm T, Tolstrup JS, Clausen MB, Mann S, Petersen PB, Grønlykke TB, Kersting UG, Delahunt E, Thorborg K. Does the Spraino low-friction shoe patch prevent lateral ankle sprain injury in indoor sports? A pilot randomised controlled trial with 510 participants with previous ankle injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2021 Jan;55(2):92-98. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101767. Epub 2020 Aug 12. PMID: 32796016; PMCID: PMC7788191.
Millar NL, Silbernagel KG, Thorborg K, Kirwan PD, Galatz LM, Abrams GD, Murrell GAC, McInnes IB, Rodeo SA. Tendinopathy. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021 Jan 7;7(1):1. doi: 10.1038/s41572-020-00234-1. Erratum in: Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021 Feb 3;7(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s41572-021-00251-8. PMID: 33414454.
Clausen MB, Hölmich P, Rathleff M, Bandholm T, Christensen KB, Zebis MK, Thorborg K. Effectiveness of Adding a Large Dose of Shoulder Strengthening to Current Nonoperative Care for Subacromial Impingement: A Pragmatic, Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial (SExSI Trial). Am J Sports Med. 2021 Sep;49(11):3040-3049. doi: 10.1177/03635465211016008. Epub 2021 May 28. PMID: 34048281; PMCID: PMC8411479.
Thorborg K. Current Clinical Concepts: Exercise and Load Management of Adductor Strains, Adductor Ruptures, and Long-Standing Adductor-Related Groin Pain. J Athl Train. 2023 Jul 1;58(7-8):589-601. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0496.21. PMID: 35834724; PMCID: PMC10569248.
Murray IR, Makaram NS, Geeslin AG, Chahla J, Moatshe G, Crossley K, Kew ME, Davis A, Tuca M, Potter H, Janse van Rensburg DC, Emery CA, Eun S, Grindem H, Noyes FR, Marx RG, Harner C, Levy BA, King E, Cook JL, Whelan DB, Hatch GF 3rd, Wahl CJ, Thorborg K, Irrgang JJ, Pujol N, Medvecky MJ, Stuart MJ, Krych AJ, Engebretsen L, Stannard JP, MacDonald P, Seil R, Fanelli GC, Maak TG, Shelbourne KD, Verhagen E, Musahl V, Hirschmann MT, Miller MD, Schenck RC, LaPrade RF. Multiligament knee injury (MLKI): an expert consensus statement on nomenclature, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Br J Sports Med. 2024 Dec 2;58(23):1385-1400. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108089. PMID: 39237264.