Frequency of Injury and Illness in the Final 4 Weeks before a Trail Running Competition

Rubén Gajardo-Burgos, Manuel Monrroy-Uarac, René Mauricio Barría-Pailaquilén, Yessenia Norambuena-Noches, Dina Christa Janse van Rensburg, Claudio Bascour-Sandoval and Manuela Besomi
Additional contact information
Rubén Gajardo-Burgos: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitación, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
Manuel Monrroy-Uarac: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitación, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
René Mauricio Barría-Pailaquilén: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Aparato Locomotor y Rehabilitación, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
Yessenia Norambuena-Noches: Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
Dina Christa Janse van Rensburg: Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Claudio Bascour-Sandoval: Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4781218, Chile
Manuela Besomi: Escuela de Kinesiología, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: We aimed to (i) determine self-reported injury and illness frequency in trail runners 4 weeks preceding competition; (ii) compare athletes with and without injury/illness by sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and competition distance; (iii) describe mechanism of injury, anatomical region (injury)/organ system (illness) involved, consequences of injury on preparation and self-perception of injury severity; (iv) compare anatomical region (injury) and organ system (illness) by sex. A total of 654 trail runners (age 36.2, IQR 30.6–43.0; 36.9% females) participated in this retrospective cross-sectional study by completing a self-reported questionnaire. Injury and illness frequency rates were 31.3% ( n = 205, CI: 27.7–35.0%) and 22.3% ( n = 146, CI: 19.1–25.7%), respectively. No significant difference was found between injured vs. non-injured or ill vs. non-ill study participants by sex, age, BMI and competition distance. Regarding injuries, gradual onset (41.6%) and knee (33.2%) were the most indicated mechanism and anatomical region of injury. At least 85.4% of trail runners changed their training following injury and 79% indicated that their injury would affect their competition performance. Regarding illness, the respiratory tract was the most frequent organ system involved (82.9%). Male and female participants reported similar proportions of anatomical regions (injury) and organ systems (illness) affected. These results could help to generate education strategies and appropriate medical support before and during these competitions.

Keywords: athletic injuries; musculoskeletal injuries; disease; injury management; trail running (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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