The positive effects of exercise on health and well-being are described at length. There is a need for people to become active, especially in our inactive and overweight times. A popular and challenging type of exercise is running. In the Netherlands, millions of people are running or trying to start running. Health benefits notwithstanding, concerns has been raised about the high incidence of overuse running injuries. There is no scientific evidence on training programs for the novice runner, and there is inconsistent evidence on what is causing the burden of overuse running injury.
The purpose of this research project is to obtain practical and valuable information on a newly developed gradual '10% training program' for the novice runner to prevent running injuries and consequentially drop outs. Negative experiences (injuries) that occur during training for a running event have the potential to significantly affect future physical activity. Therefore, the prevention running injuries is important. In the long follow-up period, valuable information will be gathered for a better understanding of modifiable risk factors in running-related overuse injuries. In the Netherlands, over 50% of a population of approximately 16 million inhabitants is inactive or semi-active, and over 40% has been diagnosed with overweight or obesity.(1,2) In the near future, these figures will become even higher.(2) Physical inactivity has emerged as an important public health problem due to the role sedentary behavior has in the development of several chronic diseases, decreased longevity, loss of physical function and weight control.(3) The consequences of inactivity, overweight and obesity are very high, considering the associated direct medical costs and the indirect socioeconomic costs.(4)
The fight against these epidemics is going to be difficult. A key factor in this fight will be promoting physical activity. The benefits of regular exercise in reducing disease morbidity and mortality are well-known.(3) Walking and running are suitable physical activities for people to become more active. They are easy to do, the equipment that people need is not expensive, the caloric expenditure is demanding, and the satisfaction after training or competition runs is high. The Royal Dutch Athletics Federation (KNAU) has estimated that around 800,000 people in the Netherlands are running frequently, over 2 million people are running now-and-then, and the popularity of running events is still growing.
Aim of the study: 1. To determine the effect the '10% training program' on the development of overuse running injuries in novice runners. In the context of the research program 'Sports, exercise and health' from the The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) this research proposal is embedded in the third research priority 'Prevention and cure for sports-related injuries'. Novice runners are frequently inactive before they start to run. The health benefits in this previously inactive group can be high. On the other hand experiences that occur while training for a running event have the potential to significantly affect the future physical activity of each individual.(12) It is also known that (fear of) sustaining an injury is associated with failure to start and maintain a physically active lifestyle.(12) As stated before the number of overuse running injuries in the Netherlands are rapidly increasing. These injuries can lead to higher medical expenses or discountinuation of an active lifestyle.
Study design: The design of this study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). After meeting inclusion criteria and informed consent, runners are randomized into the experimental or control group. |
