Prospective monitoring of health problems among recreational runners preparing for a half marathon

Abstract

ObjectivesWhile the health benefits of running are legitimately advocated, participation in running can also lead to health problems. There is a high range of reported prevalence rates especially of running-related overuse injuries in high-level athletes and during competition. Little consensus exists for acute injuries and illnesses especially in recreational runners. Therefore, the aim of this study was to record the prevalence of health problems in recreational long-distance runners preparing for an event.MethodsRecreational runners aged 18–65 years who were registered 13 weeks prior to a half-marathon running event were invited to take part in this study. Participants were prospectively monitored weekly over 13 weeks by applying a standardised surveillance system for injuries and illnesses (Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire). From this, prevalence and severity of acute and overuse injuries, as well as illnesses, were calculated.ResultsWe received 3213 fully answered questionnaires from 327 participants (40.7% female, 40.9±11.7 years of age, 31.5±21.1 km weekly mileage, 8.3±7.8 years of running experience). At any point in time over the preparation phase, 37.3% of the participants had health problems. Overuse injuries were the major burden (18%). They were followed by illnesses (14.1%) and acute injuries (7.9%). The median weekly severity score was 56.5 (IQR 37.0–58.0).ConclusionThe high prevalence of health problems in our cohort suggests that future efforts are needed to further specify the underlying mechanism and develop adequate prevention strategies for recreational runners.

Sex-Specific Differences in Running Injuries: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

“…Running is a very popular sport practiced all over the world. While regular physical activity and sports such as running are beneficial for prevention and rehabilitation of many health complaints (“exercise is medicine”) [ 1 , 2 ], running is frequently associated with high injury prevalence and incidence rates [ 3 – 5 ].…”

No pain no gain: a survey of use of healthcare and reasons not to seek healthcare by Norwegian climbers with chronic injuries

“…However, most of the research on climbing-related injuries combine acute injuries and chronic injuries,9–12 and knowledge of climbers’ beliefs about the value of healthcare is scarce 12. Although most people engaged in sports operate at moderate levels of intensity, most of the research on the use of sports medicine is based on studies assessing team sports and elite-level subjects 13 14…”

Epidemiology of injuries during the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships 2018: A prospective cohort study

“…Furthermore, only newly incurred injuries were monitored, while illnesses were not surveyed, even though illnesses in athletes with disabilities are very relevant; especially urinary tract infections, decubitus ulcers, and temperature regulation disorders have been reported scientifically and anecdotally by team physicians . Therefore, prospective injury and illness surveillance should be implemented during the regular season and compared to major tournaments . The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) questionnaire could be a potential tool to conduct such studies .…”

“…6,[31][32][33] Therefore, prospective injury and illness surveillance should be implemented during the regular season and compared to major tournaments. 2,23,[34][35][36] The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) questionnaire could be a potential tool to conduct such studies. [35][36][37] T A B L E 3 Characteristics of match and training injuries during the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships 2018 The sample size of our study was not high enough for an in-depth analysis of the effect of disability classification on injury risk, and this should be taken into consideration in future prospective studies in wheelchair basketball.…”