Risk factors for overuse injuries in runners’ ankles: a literature review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In spite of the numerous benefits to human health and given the increase of running as an exercise that has become popular worldwide, this type of sport may be the cause of a number of different injuries. The foot, ankle and lower leg comprise almost 40% of the injuries. However, the etiology of these types of injury is still not completely understood. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the causes of the onset of overuse injury in runners. METHODS: A systematic search of the electronic database was made: Bireme, Pubmed and PEDro, which were selected that addressed clinical trials, control cases, prospective and cross-sectional studies. RESULTS: The search through the descriptors yielded 324 references. Using our predefined inclusion criteria (case studies, clinical trials, prospective studies and cross studies that addressed adult runners, amateur or professional) 68 articles remained; 24 citations were excluded after reading the title, and 35 were excluded after reading the abstract and the full text. Therefore nine studies that met the criteria for analysis were included. CONCLUSION: The etiology of overuse injuries in runners is multifactorial. This review showed that distance, soil type and footwear, as well as a history of previous injuries, biomechanical changes such as increased dorsiflexion and eversion ankle, and greater knee flexion are risk factors that influence the occurrence of these injuries.