2024, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (2): 302-307

New trends and developments of functional training research in the field of health care

Lyu Moran1, Xu Wenxin1, Wang Di2, Li Ming1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Functional training has been popular in recent years, but it is mainly applied in sports training field. There are still insufficient studies and applications in medical and health fields.
OBJECTIVE: To provide a theoretical basis for relevant research in sports, medical and health fields, through a more comprehensive and in-depth exploration and analysis of the research hot spots, ideological trends, frontiers and development trends of international functional training in the field of medical and health care.  
METHODS: The 2 206 high-quality articles addressing health-related functional training during 2012-2022 were exported from the Web of Science Core Set Database as the object of analysis. Combined with research methods such as literature analysis, Citespace V analysis software was used for visual analysis of keywords, subject categories and highly cited literatures.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The number of articles published on functional training in the field of health is on the rise. There are more articles from the United States, with a larger impact. China also has a high volume of publications, but the impact and depth of research is lacking. Improving physical and mental health and cognitive ability of middle-aged and older people is the main focus, followed by preventing sports injuries and promoting recovery in athletes. In the future, more research will be conducted on teenagers, the disabled and other groups, and there will be a continued increase in injury prevention and recovery promotion for athletes. Chinese scholars have less research on the effects of functional training on the physical health of the general public, and more attention should be paid to improving the physical and mental health of the general public.

Key words: functional training, health, rehabilitation, muscle strength, hot spot, trend