PROJECT PARTNERS
· VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
· Department of Physiotherapy, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
· Section Sports Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
FUNDING
· University of Pretoria, South Africa and VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands
BACKGROUND
Trail running involves running outdoors on varying off-road terrains. It is a highly popular and fast-growing sport. Even though running as a form of physical activity has positive health benefits, it also presents with a high risk for injury. The nature of trail running requires a specific endurance effort affected by altitude, large elevation gains/losses, distance covered and varying uneven surfaces. Therefore, the injury profile will differ between road and trail runners. A lack of literature on injuries among trail runners exists, limiting our understanding of injuries in this specific field. Trail runs are mostly hosted in remote geographical regions where medical care is challenging. A trail running injury screening tool (TRISI), based on risk factors related to trail running can help identify runners at higher risk and guide future risk management strategies.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this project will be to develop a TRISI. The project consists of two phases. Phase 1 will aim to increase our understanding of trail running injuries through 1) prospectively recording injuries among trail runners, 2) analysing a large data set of injury data collected over three years among trail running race entrants, and 3) investigating trail runners’ opinions relating to trail running injury risk factors. The data obtained will be used to develop a TRISI. In phase two, an injury screening instrument will be developed based on the risk factors identified in phase 1. The developed screening instrument will be peer-reviewed through Human Judgement Modelling and adjusted accordingly. Phase 2 will consist of two expert panels that will firstly establish a final list of relevant risk factors, and then give weighting to each risk factor in the TRISI.
