Incidence of Running-Related Injuries Per 1000 h of running in Different Types of Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

BackgroundNo systematic review has identified the incidence of running-related injuries per 1000 h of running in different types of runners.ObjectiveThe purpose of the present review was to systematically search the literature for the incidence of running-related injuries per 1000 h of running in different types of runners, and to include the data in meta-analyses.Data SourcesA search of the PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, PEDro and Web of Science databases was conducted.Study SelectionTitles, abstracts, and full-text articles were screened by two blinded reviewers to identify prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials reporting the incidence of running-related injuries in novice runners, recreational runners, ultra-marathon runners, and track and field athletes.Study Appraisal and Synthesis MethodsData were extracted from all studies and comprised for further analysis. An adapted scale was applied to assess the risk of bias.ResultsAfter screening 815 abstracts, 13 original articles were included in the main analysis. Running-related injuries per 1000 h of running ranged from a minimum of 2.5 in a study of long-distance track and field athletes to a maximum of 33.0 in a study of novice runners. The meta-analyses revealed a weighted injury incidence of 17.8 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 16.7–19.1) in novice runners and 7.7 (95 % CI 6.9–8.7) in recreational runners.LimitationsHeterogeneity in definitions of injury, definition of type of runner, and outcome measures in the included full-text articles challenged comparison across studies.ConclusionNovice runners seem to face a significantly greater risk of injury per 1000 h of running than recreational runners.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0333-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.