Achilles Tendon Injury and Seasonal Variation: An Analysis Using Google Trends

Abstract

Purpose: Achilles tendon injury is one of the most common sports-related injuries. Several studies suggest that Achilles tendon injury is associated with seasonal variation. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between seasonal variations and Achilles tendon injury through Google Trends (GT) and to evaluate the correlation between GT and actual data. Methods: We identified three articles through PubMed database as control group. The experimental group (GT group) was collected from GT by setting the same conditions as the control group. For GT group, we use the search terms related to the Achilles tendon injury. The exploration period was set from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2018. Results: There is approximately more than 90% (p ＜ 0.05) correlation between GT group and control group. The incidences of Ontario were the highest in the summer. Those of New York and Vancouver were higher in spring compared to those of Ontario. Conclusion: Our study implies that there is significant seasonal variation for Achilles tendon injury. Most of these injuries seem to occur in spring and summer. Also, there is a significant relationship between GT data and actual data. If the data from GT can be analyzed properly, these approach methods will be useful for epidemiological research.