Issues with ‘Black Box’ Machine Learning Models in Injury Prediction

Injury prediction models developed using machine learning approaches have become more common due to the substantial rise of proprietary software in the sports science and sports medicine space. However, such ‘black box’ approaches are not without limitation. Aside from a lack of transparency, preventing independent evaluation of model performance, these types of models present challenges in interpretation, making it difficult for practitioners who are required to make decisions about athlete health and plan interventions.

I recently had the pleasure of working on a paper headed up by Garrett Bullock and a list of wonderful co-authors where we discuss some of these issues:

Black Box Prediction Methods in Sports Medicine Deserve a Red Card for Reckless Practice: A Change of Tactics is Needed to Advance Athlete Care. Sports Med.