Running Themselves Into the Ground? Incidence, Prevalence, and Impact of Injury and Illness in Runners Preparing for a Half or Full Marathon

Abstract

Objective To describe the incidence, prevalence, and impact of running-related injuries (RRIs) and illness symptoms in half marathon and marathon runners during the 16-week period before the Utrecht Marathon. Methods In this prospective cohort study, we used the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire to register RRIs and illness symptoms every 2 weeks during the 16-week study period. When an injury or illness occurred, questions were added regarding its nature. We calculated the incidence proportion (the number of new cases divided by the number of runners at risk) and the period prevalence (the number of existing and new cases within a 2-week period, divided by the total number of runners at risk during that period). Results Of the 161 included runners, 9 out of 10 reported an RRI or illness symptom at some time during the study period. In any 2-week period, 5.6% to 14.8% of the runners reported a new RRI, and 6.3% to 13.8% of the runners reported a new illness symptom. The prevalence of RRIs ranged from 29.2% to 43.5%, and the prevalence of illness symptoms ranged from 28.3% to 71.2%. The most prevalent RRIs were in the lower leg (prevalence range, 5.4%–12.3%) and knee (prevalence range, 2.7%–9.3%). The most prevalent illness symptoms were rhinorrhea/sneezing (prevalence range, 3.9%–12.7%) and coughing (prevalence range, 3.9%–11.9%). The incidence and prevalence of illness symptoms peaked at the same time as the influenza-like illness epidemic of the winter of 2015–2016. Conclusion Nine out of every 10 runners reported an RRI or illness symptom in the lead-up to a half or full marathon. In any 2-week period, up to 1 in 7 runners reported a new RRI or illness symptom. Level of Evidence 2b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(7):518–528. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.8473

Prevalence and incidence of low back pain among runners: a systematic review

“…Despite running is one of the most practiced sports worldwide, and the prevalence rate of RRI is well documented in scientific literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], prevalence and incidence of LBP among runners are still unclear. The relatively low number of studies that we were able to include in the present review confirms the scarcity of literature on this topic.…”

“…Running is one of the most practiced sports in the adult population worldwide, due to the sustainable cost of technical materials and its great beneficial impacts on health [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The benefits of running include weight control and prevention of chronic health disorders, such as the cardiovascular diseases, resulting in a general reduction of mortality risk [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”

“…Running is one of the most practiced sports in the adult population worldwide, due to the sustainable cost of technical materials and its great beneficial impacts on health [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The benefits of running include weight control and prevention of chronic health disorders, such as the cardiovascular diseases, resulting in a general reduction of mortality risk [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The health benefits associated with running are well-documented, nevertheless the attention to lifestyle, diet, fitness and competitive athletics promoted by media in the last decade, have led to a drastic increase of the levels of physical activity and interest in both competitive and recreational running, even in subjects without an appropriate knowledge on training methodology [3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

“…The benefits of running include weight control and prevention of chronic health disorders, such as the cardiovascular diseases, resulting in a general reduction of mortality risk [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The health benefits associated with running are well-documented, nevertheless the attention to lifestyle, diet, fitness and competitive athletics promoted by media in the last decade, have led to a drastic increase of the levels of physical activity and interest in both competitive and recreational running, even in subjects without an appropriate knowledge on training methodology [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Although evidence suggests that running is one of the most effective ways to achieve a good state of health and fitness [9], recent studies indicate that it also involves a relatively high risk of associated injury [10,11].…”

Peer Review #2 of "Effects of 12-week cadence retraining on impact peak, load rates and lower extremity biomechanics in running (v0.3)"

“…Amongst these injuries, knee injuries, such as patellofemoral pain, are the most common. Meanwhile, there is data to suggest that injuries to the lower leg have been reported to be just as common as injuries to the knee (Buist et al 2010;Franke et al 2019).…”