Abstract

Acute and chronic (overuse) musculoskeletal soft tissues injuries are common as a result of sports and occupational related physical activities. These injuries have no single cause -- instead, they result from a complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors which include genetic factors. Specific genetic elements have been identified for certain soft tissue injuries and I will summarise those in this editorial. I also explore the possible clinical implications of including genetic risk factors in multifactorial models developed to understand the molecular mechanisms of musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries.