Youth Distance Running and Lower Extremity Injury: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Distance running is a popular youth sport. This systematic review identified and examined the effects of youth distance running and lower extremity musculoskeletal injury. Scientific databases were searched from database inception to May 2020. Two hundred and fifty-eight full texts were screened, with nine articles retained for data extraction. Seven of the studies were case reports or case series. Two case reports involved an apophyseal hip fracture. No correlation was found between running mileage or gender and sustaining an injury. Middle school runners reported fewer injuries than high school runners. Cross country accounted for less than 10% of injuries in youth under 15 compared to other track activities. The main finding was a paucity of research. Available literature suggests youth can participate in distance running with minimal adverse effects. One exception may be increased vulnerability to growth plate injury. Additional research is needed, especially in those under 10, as literature in this population is nonexistent.

Beyond the Finish Line: Examining the Role of Children in Marathon Races—A Narrative Review

“…Recent health promotion guidelines for children recommend accumulating a minimum of 60 min of physical activity daily as part of transportation, physical education, sport, free play, and planned exercise [ 2 ]. Compared with other sports, running is popular sport for children throughout the world [ 3 ]. In 2012, running ranked as the second most common physical activity among boys aged 12–15 years (33.5%) and the most common among girls in the same age group (34.9%) in the United States [ 4 ].…”