SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2020
Is the Acute: Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) Associated with Risk of Time-Loss Injury in Professional Team Sports? A Systematic Review of Methodology, Variables and Injury Risk in Practical Situations.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Injury Reduction Programs for Reducing the Incidence of Sport-Related Head and Neck Injuries Including Concussion: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of Weekly Training Load and Acute: Chronic Workload Ratio Methods to Estimate Change in Training Load in Running.Journal of athletic training · 2024Trial
- The Relationship Between Games Missed for Rest or Load Management and Injury in the National Basketball Association, 2014-15 Through 2022-23.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Observational
- Time-Varying Associations Between Physical Activity and Injury Risk Among Children.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2026Article
- Physical profiling in elite professional men's football: Academy, reserve and first team variations in fitness and performance.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2026Article
- A new conceptual framework for managing hamstring injury risk in soccer - implementing a data-informed approach: a narrative review.Biology of sport · 2026Review
- Global Positioning System-Derived Metrics and Machine Learning Models for Injury Prediction in Professional Rugby Union Players.European journal of sport science · 2025Article
- Article
- Analysis of Internal Training Load and Sports Injuries Incidence in Gymnasts of Different Exposure Levels.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Sport-specific training and return to sport after ACL reconstruction in elite athletes: a narrative review.Annals of joint · 2025Review
- Contact load is associated with both contact and non-contact injuries in rugby union.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Elite Tennis Players with a Weak Rotator Cuff: The Paradox of Infraspinatus Atrophy - A Clinical Commentary and Practical Approach.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2025Article
- The Relationship between Training Load and Injury Risk in Basketball: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Relationship between the contact load and time-loss injuries in rugby union.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Workload Comparison of Contemporary Interval Throwing Programs and a Novel Optimized Program for Baseball Pitchers.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2024Article
- Target trial framework for determining the effect of changes in training load on injury risk using observational data: a methodological commentary.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2024Review
- Predicting Injuries in Football Based on Data Collected from GPS-Based Wearable Sensors.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Externally validated machine learning algorithm accurately predicts medial tibial stress syndrome in military trainees: a multicohort study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2023Article
- Towards the Development of a System Dynamics Model for the Prediction of Lower Extremity Injuries.International journal of exercise science · 2023Review
- Elbow Injuries Among MLB Pitchers Increased During Covid-19 Disrupted Season, But Not Other Baseball Injuries.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe acute: chronic workload ratio (ACWR) is an index of the acute workload relative to the cumulative chronic workloads. The monitoring of physical workloads using the ACWR has emerged and been hypothesized as a useful tool for coaches and athletes to optimize performance while aiming to reduce the risk of potentially preventable load-driven injuries.
objectivesOur goal was to describe characteristics of the ACWR and investigate the association of the ACWR with the risk of time-loss injuries in adult elite team sport athletes. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE and grey literature databases; inception to May 2019. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Longitudinal studies that assess the relationship of the ACWR and time-loss injury risk in adult professional or elite team sports.
methodsWe summarized the population characteristics, workload metrics and ACWR calculation methods. For each workload metric, we plotted the risk estimates for the ACWR in isolation, or when combined with chronic workloads. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified version of the Downs and Black scale.
resultsTwenty studies comprising 2375 injuries from 1234 athletes (all males and mean age of 24 years) from different sports were included. Internal (65%) and external loads (70%) were collected in more than half of the studies and the session-rating of perceived exertion and total distance were the most commonly collected metrics. The ACWR was commonly calculated using the coupled method (95%), 1:4 weekly blocks (95%) and subsequent week injury lag (80%). There were 14 different binning methods with almost none of the studies using the same binning categories.
conclusionThe majority of studies suggest that athletes are at greater risk of sustaining a time-loss injury when the ACWR is higher relative to a lower or moderate ACWR. The heterogenous methodological approaches not only reflect the wide range of sports studied and the differing demands of these activities, but also limit the strength of recommendations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017067585.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.