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Review
Strategies to prevent and manage running-related knee injuries: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
  1. James L N Alexander1,2,
  2. Adam G Culvenor1,
  3. Richard R T Johnston1,
  4. Allison M Ezzat1,3,
  5. Christian J Barton1,4
  1. 1 La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
  2. 2 Evado Studios, Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia
  3. 3 Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  4. 4 Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Prosthetics and Orthotics, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Christian J Barton, La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; christian{at}completesportscare.com.au

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and manage knee injuries in runners.

Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus up to May 2022.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a primary aim of evaluating the effectiveness of intervention(s) to prevent or manage running-related knee injury.

Results Thirty RCTs (18 prevention, 12 management) analysed multiple interventions in novice and recreational running populations. Low-certainty evidence (one trial, 320 participants) indicated that running technique retraining (to land softer) reduced the risk of knee injury compared with control treadmill running (risk ratio (RR) 0.32, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.63). Very low-certainty to low-certainty evidence from 17 other prevention trials (participant range: 24 –3287) indicated that various footwear options, multicomponent exercise therapy, graduated running programmes and online and in person injury prevention education programmes did not influence knee injury risk (RR range: 0.55–1.06). In runners with patellofemoral pain, very low-certainty to low-certainty evidence indicated that running technique retraining strategies, medial-wedged foot orthoses, multicomponent exercise therapy and osteopathic manipulation can reduce knee pain in the short-term (standardised mean difference range: −4.96 to −0.90).

Conclusion There is low-certainty evidence that running technique retraining to land softer may reduce knee injury risk by two-thirds. Very low-certainty to low-certainty evidence suggests that running-related patellofemoral pain may be effectively managed through a variety of active (eg, running technique retraining, multicomponent exercise therapy) and passive interventions (eg, foot orthoses, osteopathic manipulation).

PROSPERO registration number CRD42020150630

  • Running
  • Knee injuries
  • Exercise Therapy
  • Sporting injuries
  • Preventive Medicine

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-105553

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @JamesA_15, @agculvenor, @DrChrisBarton

    • Contributors JLNA, CJB and AGC conceived the review topic. JLNA led the project with contributions from all authors. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests AGC and CJB are Associate Editors of BJSM.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.