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

BACKGROUND No systematic review has identified the incidence of running-related injuries per 1000 h of running in different types of runners. OBJECTIVE The 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 SOURCES A search of the PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, PEDro and Web of Science databases was conducted. STUDY SELECTION Titles, 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 METHODS Data were extracted from all studies and comprised for further analysis. An adapted scale was applied to assess the risk of bias. RESULTS After 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. LIMITATIONS Heterogeneity in definitions of injury, definition of type of runner, and outcome measures in the included full-text articles challenged comparison across studies. CONCLUSION Novice runners seem to face a significantly greater risk of injury per 1000 h of running than recreational runners.