The rise of green orthopaedics: a bibliometric mapping and thematic evaluation of the global research landscape.

Authors

Lezgin Mert, Dogan Kiral

Published in

International orthopaedics. Jul 01, 2026. Epub Jul 01, 2026.

Abstract

This study systematically analyzes the scientific literature in the field of "Green Orthopaedics" by examining publication trends, global collaborations, thematic shifts, and clinical distributions using bibliometric methods. This study aims to map and categorize the current Green Orthopaedics literature and to provide a thematic framework for the holistic evaluation of future sustainability-oriented orthopaedic research.
Data spanning the years 2000-2026 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Following strict filtering for language, document type, and category, 170 publications were included in the final analysis. The publications were systematically classified into six thematic categories and various orthopedic sub-specialties. Bibliometric mapping and network analyses were performed using VOSviewer software.
A significant exponential growth was observed, with 65.3% of the total 170 articles published within the last three years (2023-2025). The United States (34.1%) and the United Kingdom (24.7%) emerged as the leading contributors to the field. While "Sustainability" and "Carbon Footprint" were identified as the most central keywords, "Category 6: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Policy, and Education" was the most frequently addressed theme (n = 59). However, "Category 5: Sustainable Biomaterials and Additive Manufacturing" proved to be the driver of scientific impact, accounting for 35% of the top-cited publications.
The "Green Orthopaedics" literature has expanded rapidly in recent years and appears to be evolving from waste-focused studies toward broader domains including carbon footprint analysis, LCA, sustainability policy, education, and technological innovation. However, current research remains geographically concentrated in high-income countries and is characterized by fragmented collaboration networks. Future progress in this field may depend on multicenter studies, standardised reporting frameworks, and broader international collaboration to inform the development of context-sensitive, sustainable orthopaedic practices.

PMID:
42387027
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Jul 2026.

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