Effectiveness over the medium term (six months) of a prevention program in reducing the risk of running-related injuries

Abstract

Running is effective in increasing levels of physical activity and promotes several beneficial health. However, an implementation of running as physical activity is not free of side negative effects. Running-related injuries (RRIs) are the side effect that poses the greatest risk to the general population. Effective interventions in preventing running injuries are scarce. Thus, the aim of this study will be to investigate the effectiveness of a running-related injury prevention program in the medium term. To this end, a preliminary analysis of a randomized controlled trial will be performed six months after the implementation of a running-related injury prevention program. Beginning or recreational runners who agree to participate in the study through the consent form, at least 18 years of age, without contraindication to physical activity and not injured, will be included in the study. Participants will be allocated to the intervention or control group. The intervention group receive the running-related injury prevention program for six months, while the control group receive no intervention during the study. Follow-up will be done through questionnaires applied every two weeks. The primary outcome of this study will be the effectiveness of running-related injury prevention program in reducing risk (incidence) for running-related injuries over time (repeated measurements). For this, the data analysis will be performed through generalized estimating equation (GEE), generalized mixed models and Cox regression for repeated measures. This study will show whether the running- related injury prevention program is effective in reducing the risk of running related injuries in the medium term. (AU)