Footnotes

• X @janesthornton

• Contributors JST and DPR contributed equally to idea conception and drafting, and EHG, JL, KM and WHM contributed equally to theme development. All authors contributed equally to final review of the manuscript. JST is the guarantor.

• Funding The authors gratefully acknowledge funding support from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis Inclusive Research Patient Engagement Prize

• Competing interests JST is a member of the editorial board of the BJSM.

• Patient and public involvement statement Athlete partners were involved at all stages of manuscript preparation.

• Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.