Effectiveness of an 18‐week general strength and foam‐rolling intervention on running‐related injuries in recreational runners

Abstract

AbstractRationaleMore research is needed to uncover the effectiveness of combined strength and foam‐rolling interventions to prevent running‐related injuries.ObjectivesTo evaluate effectiveness of an 18‐week general strength and foam‐rolling intervention on the incidence of running‐related injuries.MethodThis is an 18‐week observational comparative study. A total of 433 recreational runners participated (n = 203 female). The intervention group (n = 228) performed general strength and foam‐rolling exercises twice weekly for 18 weeks, the control group (n = 205) maintained their regular training habits. Running volume and running‐related pain were reported weekly. Secondary analyses were performed on the subgroups of the intervention group based on compliance; low compliance (n = 100), intermediate compliance (n = 63), and high compliance (n = 65). Cumulative incidence proportions were calculated and time‐to‐event statistics were performed to compare survival times between groups. Univariate cox proportional hazards ratio was calculated to estimate the risk of running‐related injuries at 18 weeks.ResultsA total of 100 running‐related injuries were sustained. The cumulative incidence proportion for the control and intervention groups was 27.1% (95% CI: 21.4–33.9) and 23.0% (95% CI: 17.8–29.4), respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the overall intervention group and control group (log‐rank p = 0.31). A significant difference existed between the high‐compliance subgroup and the control group (log‐rank p = 0.00). Highly compliant runners were 85% less likely (hazard rate ratio = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.05–0.46) to sustain an injury during the study compared with controls.ConclusionRecreational runners highly compliant with the intervention were 85% less likely and took on average 57 days longer to sustain a running‐related injury when compared with controls, with a cumulative incidence proportion of 4.6% after 18 weeks.