A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study of Anterior Knee Pain in Runners

Introduction: Running is a common form of exercise, but up to 79% of runners experience overuse injuries each year. Anterior knee pain (AKP) is the most common overuse injury in runners. The literature has equivocal results regarding risk factors for overuse injury and predicting injury.

Purpose: To compare runners who experience an AKP injury to runners that remain uninjured. These data could provide etiological evidence of AKP and could help clinicians treat and prevent AKP.

Methods: Runners in the TRAILS cohort (n=300) were followed in a prospective observational study for two years. The 101 uninjured runners were compared to the 58 runners that experienced AKP. Data collection occurred at baseline. Data included anthropometric, biomechanical, physiological, psychosocial, and training behavior measurements.

Results: Injured runners showed a decreased mental component of SF-12 scores and a greater knee stiffness at baseline. After a multivariable analysis, the mental component of SF-12 was predictive of AKP injury.

Conclusions: Runners who experienced AKP had lower perceived mental health scores than uninjured runners. Treatment and prevention of AKP should include a psychosocial component.

Year	Entry
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Year

Entry

2001

Anderson FC, Pandy MG. Static and dynamic optimization solutions for gait are practically equivalent. J Biomech. February 2001;34(2):153-161.

1989

Walter SD, Hart LE, McIntosh JM, Sutton JR. The Ontario cohort study of running-related injuries. Arch Intern Med. November 1989;149(11):2561-2564.

2000

Fuller EA. The windlass mechanism of the foot: a mechanical model to explain pathology. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2000;90(1):35-46.

1981

Clement DB, Taunton JE, Smart GW, McNicol KL. A survey of overuse running injuries. Phys Sportsmed. May 1981;9(5):47-58.

2007

van Gent RN, Siem D, van Middelkoop M, van Os AG, Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, Koes BW. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. August 2007;41(8):469-480.