Application of self-healing hydrogels for sports injury prevention and rehabilitation

• Self-healing hydrogels utilize dynamic cross-linked structures to achieve rapid repair after damage, significantly enhancing durability and service life in sports injury repair. • Integration of drug delivery and growth factors enables self-healing hydrogels to possess dual functions of anti-inflammation and tissue regeneration during repair. • Next-generation hydrogels are applied in wearable devices for real-time monitoring of sports status, aiding rehabilitation training and injury prevention. • Challenges remain in mechanical stability under high-intensity exercise, precise control of drug release, and clinical translation due to limitations in scalable production and standardized evaluation.