Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Guidelines in Recreational Runners

Injuries and especially overuse injuries within recreational running are a common occurrence with higher incidence rates in novice runners but also in recreational runners training for a specific event. The mechanisms behind overuse injury development are thought to be multifactorial and certain parameters have shown to increase injury risk in recreational runners. The aim of this trial is to target these specific parameters and implement training programs to which recreational runners will adhere for a period of 18 weeks. About 408 male and female recreational runners, aged 18-55 years will be randomly allocated to one either the intervention (INT) or Control (CON).The INT group will perform an exercise program containing muscle control and foamrolling exercises in addition to their regular training, twice a week. The CON group will continue as per usual with their training. Training data will be collected on a weekly basis from all groups and pain and injury information will be submitted by the participants upon occurrence. The primary outcome measure is the number of sustained injuries in both groups. Participants will be recruited in December 2018 and the intervention will start in January 2019 for a period of 18 weeks, ending in May 2019. Data analyses are anticipated to be completed in September 2019.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy male and female recreational runners with an average weekly running distance of at least 15km.

Exclusion criteria

• Injury to the lower extremities during the past 6 months.