Analysis of Injury Risk Factors in Elite Athletes

Background information. The different disciplines of athletics place high physical demands on athletes. These different categories of running vary in terms of physical effort and duration, generating different levels of risk of injury. The description of the main injuries that affect elite athletes in the different athletics disciplines, as well as the identification of the specific risk factors of each discipline, will allow the identification of preventive measures to be implemented.

Objective. To identify the risk factors for tendon injury in professional long- and middle-distance athletes, according to the type of event, and to identify the best predictive model for tendon injuries based on anthropometric and athletic variables.

Method. Ambispective cohort study. 81 elite athletes will be recruited. The primary variable will be the number of tendon injuries in the last three seasons. The secondary and modifying variables will be: age (in completed years), weekly training load (in minutes), type of footwear (sneakers without carbon plate, sneakers with carbon plate, spiked sneakers without carbon plate and spiked sneakers with carbon plate), diet (balanced, high in carbohydrates, high-protein, controlled hypocaloric and adapted to the training cycle) and the regular practice of another physical activity. The possible confounding variables will be the body mass index, the date of tendon injuries in that period and the time spent as a federated athlete (in completed months). The analysis will calculate the risk of injury in these athletes and assess the influence of confounding factors and trend analysis on the primary variable, stratified by possible confounding factors.

Expected results. To calculate the risk of injury in elite athletes based on anthropometric and sociodemographic variables. To identify the predictive model of tendon injuries in elite athletes