Background:

Running is an important recreational and health-promoting physical activity; however, it is associated with a significant risk of injury and therefore risk factors related to running injuries deserve investigation.

Research question/s:

What are the predictors for running-related injuries (RRI) and are these different in male versus female novice runners?

Methodology:

Subjects: 532 novice runners (male 226, female 306) who were training over 13 weeks to run a 6.7-km event.

Experimental procedure: All the subjects were assessed before the onset of training (baseline questionnaire and orthopaedic examination) and were then followed for self-reported running-related musculoskeletal pain (lower extremity or back, causing a restriction of running for at least 1 week). The incidence of RRI during the period was 21%.

Measures of outcome: Multivariate adjusted Cox regression model (HR) to determine the risk factors for RRI in men and women.

Main finding/s:

HR for RRI in novice female runners: an increased navicular drop (measure of foot pronation) (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.75 to 0.97) was a significant predictor for RRI.

Other variables (type A behaviour, hip and ankle range of motion) were nor predictors of RRI in novices.

Conclusion/s:

In a prospective, cohort study of novice runners, different risk factors for RRI were identified in male (increased body mass index, previous injury, previous sports participation) …