Epidemiology and etiology of lower limb injuries in Iranian recreational runners

Abstract

Background Knowledge about prevalence and etiology of running-related injuries (RRIs) is important to tailor an effective RRI prevention program. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and etiology of RRIs in Iranian recreational runners.Methods An internet-based self-developed questionnaire was sent to recreational runners recruited through social media. The questionnaire asked about personal and training characteristics, psychological factors (passion, BERQ-2, RAND-36), SQUASH, sleep, foot type and RRIs over the last six months. Data were analyzed descriptively and using logistic regression.Results Self-reported data from 804 questionnaires were analyzed. Twenty-five potential risk factors for RRIs were investigated. The male-to-female proportion was 57.5:42.5. 54% of runners reported at least one RRI. Patellofemoral pain syndrome was the most-reported injury (19.8%), followed by medial tibial stress syndrome (16.9%). Knee was the most-affected location (44.6%), followed by lower leg (19.2%). The variables associated with RRIs were: overweight (odds ratio (OR):1.77), pes planus (OR:1.81), running over 20 km/week (OR:1.62), hard-surface running (OR:1.38), running company (OR:1.74), following a training program (OR:1.50), obsessive passionate attitude (OR:1.05), RAND-36 (OR:0.96), and sleep quality (OR:1.46). Associated factors for all different RRI types were analyzed too.Conclusions Overweight, running over 20 km/week, hard-surface running, having pes planus or cavus, higher obsessive passion, lower RAND-36, and poor sleep quality were the most predictive risk factors for RRIs types. This study highlighted the importance of psychological factors besides abnormal foot arch and some training-related risk factors for RRIs in Iranian runners. These results may be useful for runners and coaches to tailor effective training programs and to design RRI prevention programs that may help clinicians when managing RRIs.

Differences between U23 and older semi-professional soccer players in perfectionism and passion: exploring determinant relationship between variables

“…Obsessive passion implies engaging rigidly, excessively, and uncontrollably in the activity, usually at the expense of other life domains, due to the need to obtain certain contingences linked with it, while harmonious passion supposes an autonomous, flexible, and balanced engagement in the activity, which remains under person's control (Schellenberg et al, 2021). In the sports context, obsessive passion has been associated with maladaptive outcomes, such as stress, injury story and injury likelihood, worry, moral disengagement, or concentration disruption, while harmonious passion relates with adaptive outcomes, as self-esteem, enjoyment, psychological well-being, flow, mastery-improvement and performance goals, cohesion, competence, autonomy or sportspersonship (e.g., Schiphof-Godart and Hettinga, 2017;Mousavi et al, 2021;Schellenberg et al, 2021;Rodrigues et al, 2022).…”