Health & Research Disclaimer

Nature of the App

Develupp is a data management and analytics tool designed for use by qualified sports coaches, performance staff, and academy administrators. The App uses validated scientific equations to estimate maturity status, growth velocity, and predicted adult height in youth athletes. It also provides injury recording and surveillance features that allow users to track and analyse injury patterns at the player, team, and organisation level.

These outputs are intended to support informed, professional decision-making in a sports development context. They are not clinical measurements, medical diagnoses, or certified assessments of any kind. Injury records and reports generated by the App are user-reported data visualisations, not medical records or clinical injury assessments.

Scientific Methods — Scope & Limitations

The App applies the following peer-reviewed methods:

Mirwald et al. (2002) — Maturity offset estimation using standing height, sitting height, leg length, body mass, and age. Validated in a Canadian youth sample; may not generalise to all ethnicities or populations.

Moore et al. (2015) — Maturity offset estimation without sitting height, using standing height, body mass, and age. Provides a practical alternative when sitting height is unavailable.

Fransen et al. (2022) — Maturity offset for male athletes, validated in Belgian youth football academies. Most applicable to European male soccer populations.

Khamis & Roche (1994) — Predicted adult stature using mid-parent height, current height, and body mass. Validated in a North American sample.

SITAR (Cole et al. 2010; Monasterio et al. 2026) — Superimposition by Translation and Rotation. A longitudinal growth-curve model that fits an individual player's height history to the Berkeley Growth Study reference curve to estimate Age at PHV and predicted adult height without requiring parental heights. Validated in male football academies by Monasterio et al. (SPSR287, 2026) with APHV accuracy of mean -0.09 years (SD 0.57 years). Applicable to male players aged 8-18 with at least 3 measurements spanning 12 months. Not validated for female athletes.

All equations are population-derived statistical models. They carry inherent uncertainty and may produce estimates that differ meaningfully from an individual athlete's actual development. No equation can perfectly predict biological maturity or adult stature for any specific person.

Third-Party Device Data (SonicBone): The App supports importing skeletal maturity assessments from third-party ultrasound devices such as SonicBone. Develupp aggregates this data for visualization and tracking purposes only. Develupp is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or responsible for SonicBone or any other third-party device. All bone age assessments, predicted adult heights, and maturation classifications produced by third-party devices are the sole responsibility of the respective device manufacturers and should be interpreted by a qualified medical professional.

Injury Recording & Surveillance

The App allows users to record injury data (body part, mechanism, severity, recovery status, and related details) and generates surveillance reports including incidence rates, burden metrics, and body part distributions based on methodologies recommended by the IOC 2020 Consensus Statement on Recording and Reporting of Epidemiological Data on Injury and Illness in Sport (Bahr et al., 2020).

The App also correlates injury records with growth and maturation data to provide context such as PHV phase at time of injury, growth velocity, bio-banding classification, and maturity timing. These correlations are based on published youth sport injury research but are observational in nature and do not establish causation.

Important limitations:

• Injury records are entered by users and reflect the user's assessment. The App does not diagnose injuries, verify user-entered injury data, or provide clinical classification.
• Injury surveillance metrics (incidence, burden, severity) are statistical summaries derived from user-entered data. Their accuracy depends entirely on the completeness and correctness of the data entered.
• Correlations between injury patterns and maturation status (e.g. circa-PHV injury rates, growth velocity thresholds) are drawn from population-level research and may not apply to any individual athlete.
• The App does not provide return-to-play recommendations, rehabilitation protocols, or medical clearance. All return-to-play decisions must be made by qualified medical professionals.
• Injury reports generated by the App must not be used as medical records, insurance documentation, or legal evidence of injury.

Measurement Accuracy

AR Scanning (LiDAR): Height measurements obtained using LiDAR-based AR scanning provide an approximation based on depth sensor data. Factors including clothing, posture, ambient conditions, and device calibration can affect accuracy. AR scanning is not a substitute for clinical-grade measurement using a calibrated stadiometer.

Manual Entry: Heights entered manually by users are subject to the accuracy of the measurement instrument and measurement technique used. Develupp does not validate the accuracy of user-entered data.

Third-Party Imports (SonicBone): Measurement and bone age data imported from third-party devices such as SonicBone is displayed as provided by the device. Develupp does not modify, recalculate, or independently verify third-party data. Any errors, inaccuracies, or malfunctions in the originating device are not the responsibility of Develupp.

For precision-critical applications, physical measurement with a calibrated stadiometer by a trained practitioner remains the recommended standard.

Interpretation of Results

Maturity scores, growth velocity values, adult height predictions, body proportion indices, and injury surveillance reports produced by the App should be:

• Interpreted only by qualified sports scientists, coaches, or practitioners with appropriate training in youth athlete development.
• Considered alongside the athlete's full developmental history, training load, nutrition, injury history, and individual context.
• Treated as one input among many, not as definitive or conclusive assessments.

Results must not be used to: · Make medical diagnoses or treatment decisions. · Replace assessment by a licensed physician, paediatrician, or clinical specialist. · Definitively categorise an athlete as mature or immature for medical or eligibility purposes. · Make return-to-play, rehabilitation, or medical clearance decisions based solely on App data. · Make selection decisions that could harm an athlete's physical or psychological wellbeing without appropriate professional oversight.

Not a Substitute for Medical Advice

If you have concerns about an athlete's growth, development, health, or wellbeing, you should refer that athlete to a qualified medical professional. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Suspected growth disorders or hormonal conditions.
• Significant deviations from expected growth trajectories.
• Signs of overtraining, injury, or physical stress related to rapid growth.
• Any injury requiring diagnosis, imaging, clinical assessment, or treatment.
• Any return-to-play or return-to-training decision following injury.
• Recurring or chronic injuries, particularly during periods of rapid growth.
• Any situation where an athlete reports pain, discomfort, or health concerns.

The injury recording and surveillance features in the App are designed to help sports professionals track injury patterns and workload context. They do not replace clinical injury assessment, and the App must not be used to diagnose, treat, or manage injuries. All injury management decisions must involve qualified medical professionals.

Develupp does not provide medical advice, and nothing in the App should be construed as such.

No Warranty on Outputs

Develupp makes no warranties, express or implied, that the maturity scores, growth predictions, injury surveillance metrics, or other analytical outputs produced by the App are accurate, complete, or suitable for any specific purpose. All scientific outputs are estimates with inherent statistical uncertainty. Injury surveillance metrics are only as accurate as the data entered by users.

Develupp is not liable for any decisions made, or harm arising, from reliance on App outputs — including injury reports, maturation-adjusted injury analysis, or any injury-growth correlations. Use of the App implies acceptance of this limitation.

References

For full details on the scientific methods used, including original publications and validation data, see Settings → Methodology & References.

Questions

If you have questions about the scientific methods used in the App, please contact:

Develupp
support@develupp.app