The number of reported injuries in the Premier League spiked in 2014, post-World Cup [228], but the latest data shows that those requiring treatment are on the wane.
Figures have fallen in the subsequent years to reach a five-year low [168], a drop of around 26 percent. Here are some interesting injury trends.
Highest number of injuries since gameweek one: Sunderland [19]
The Black Cats can at least attribute part of the blame for their poor start to a rather unfortunate run of luck. No team has suffered more injuries since the opening weekend [19] while at least five are considered to be long-term [over 6-weeks].
At the opposite end, only Burnley have sustained fewer injuries [1] than Hull City [3]. However, the Tigers lost the bulk of their players during preseason and started the new campaign with only 13 fully fit first-team members. Incidentally, their tally of 61 days' lost pales into insignificance when compared to Sunderland who have amassed more than three-and-a-half times that [226 days].
Most commonly injured area: Upper leg (27 percent)
Thigh injuries, and more specifically damage to the hamstring, continues to be the most prevalent barrier to playing in the Premier League. Soft tissue tears and strains to the upper leg account for more than a quarter of all this seasons reported ailments, although statistics provided by Dr Peter Ueblacker and Dr Lutz Hansel from the world renowned Mueller-Wohlfahrt Sports Clinic say this figure could rise to around 40 percent.
Data collated from the opening weeks shows that seven in every 10 thigh problems [70 percent] relate to the hamstring and can be classified as "structural" i.e. tears to the muscle and fibres.
"We know how to prevent [other] injuries," said Jan Ekstrand, vice-chairman of the UEFA medical committee. "But we still don't know how to prevent hamstring injuries."
On the sidelines: Aaron Ramsey (52 days)
Delays and setbacks have restricted Arsenal midfielder Ramsay to just 61 minutes of Premier League football after he limped off during the opening day defeat to Liverpool, much to the annoyance of Wales manager Chris Coleman who questioned whether the player was pushed too hard to be fit for the season:
"Could that have been prevented in the way he was looked after when he got back from the tournament? I don't know. But you can't help but think," he said.
However, spare a thought for Robert Snodgrass, who couldn't even manage a half for Hull on his debut back in 2014. The summer signing from Norwich City suffered a horrible injury on 40 minutes when he dislocated his knee cap and damaged ligaments in an innocuous looking challenge at Queens Park Rangers. An initial six-month recovery period quickly came and went and it was a full 15 months before Snodgrass was able to play competitively again.
This season we have seen a number of high profile injuries, although none of which should extend beyond Christmas.
Harry Kane [ankle] is expected to miss a total of two months while West Ham have been hit particularly hard losing full-backs Sam Byram, Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell for a number of weeks. Vincent Kompany's setback on his return for Manchester City in the EFL Cup will delay his return to the Premier League until later this month at best and Sunderland's Jan Kirchhoff suffered his third hamstring strain of the year, leaving the German midfielder out until December.
Meanwhile, forgotten man Phil Jones is sidelined again for Manchester United. His 28 absences [includes injury and illness] since arriving at Old Trafford in 2011 means the former England international has spent around 40 percent of his United career in the treatment room [729 days].
Most early injuries on average over the previous five seasons: Arsenal [14.2]
No-one has averaged more injuries during the first seven gameweeks of a season than Arsenal [14.2] but there are a number of sides who follow closely. Well-documented problems at Newcastle see the Magpies in joint-second [13] alongside Manchester City who just edge rivals United [12.4].
Despite a stuttering start to their 2014-15 campaign (eighth after seven games) -- due in part to a record number of injuries [23] which included an ankle fracture for the previous season's leading goal scorer Oliver Giroud [91 days] -- Arsenal went onto qualify for the Champions League and won the FA Cup.
Incidentally, the previous season also saw the Gunners set off on the wrong foot. They had [21] injuries, although it didn't change much on the pitch as they led the way until Christmas, only dropping to second on goal difference.
On the flipside, Southampton have consistently maintained an impressive record [average 6.6 injuries], with Mauricio Pochettino's current side [Tottenham] second [8.4]. Chelsea [9.6] and Stoke City [9.4] are the only other top flight sides to drop into single digits.