SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2021
Epidemiology of Injury and Illness Among Trail Runners: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Female trail running: a systematic scoping review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Pooled it
- Types and anatomical locations of injuries among mountain bikers and hikers: A systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Running-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries in Saudi Arabia: Epidemiology, Biomechanical Determinants, and Global Comparative Insights.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- Biomechanical differences in lower limb movements during lifting tasks before and after fatigue.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- The Trail Runners' Tendon-How Do Weekly Mileage and Elevation Gain Affect Achilles and Patellar Tendon Morphology?Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Article
- Sleep and Ultramarathon: Exploring Patterns, Strategies, and Repercussions of 1,154 Mountain Ultramarathons Finishers.Sports medicine - open · 2024Article
- Authors' Reply to Dahmen et al.: "The Influence of Running on Lower Limb Cartilage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis".Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Classification of the Effort Index and Biomechanical Overload in Natural Trails of UNESCO Global Geoparks-A Network Perspective of Trails of the Araripe UGG (NE Brazil).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- It Is Not Just Stress: A Bayesian Approach to the Shape of the Negative Psychological Features Associated with Sport Injuries.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Injury Prevention, Safe Training Techniques, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport in Trail Runners.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Risk Factors for Running-Related Injuries among South African Trail Runners.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Frequency of Injury and Illness in the Final 4 Weeks before a Trail Running Competition.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTrail running is characterised by large elevation gains/losses and uneven varying running surfaces. Limited information is available on injury and illness among trail runners to help guide injury and illness prevention strategies.
objectiveThe primary aim of this review was to describe the epidemiology of injury and illness among trail runners.
methodsEight electronic databases were systematically searched (MEDLINE Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, SportsDiscus, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic, Health Source: Consumer Ed., and Cochrane) from inception to November 2020. The search was conducted according to the PRISMA statement and the study was registered on PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42019135933). Full-text English and French studies that investigated injury and/or illness among trail runners participating in training/racing were included. The main outcome measurements included: trail running injury (incidence, prevalence, anatomical site, tissue type, pathology-type/specific diagnosis, severity), and illness (incidence, prevalence, symptoms, specific diagnosis, organ system, severity). The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using an adapted Downs and Black assessment tool.
resultsSixteen studies with 8644 participants were included. Thirteen studies investigated race-related injury and/or illness and three studies included training-related injuries. The overall incidence range was 1.6-4285.0 injuries per 1000 h of running and 65.0-6676.6 illnesses per 1000 h of running. The foot was the most common anatomical site of trail running injury followed by the knee, lower leg, thigh, and ankle. Skin lacerations/abrasions were the most common injury diagnoses followed by skin blisters, muscle strains, muscle cramping, and ligament sprains. The most common trail running illnesses reported related to the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT), followed by the metabolic, and cardiovascular systems. Symptoms of nausea and vomiting related to GIT distress and dehydration were commonly reported.
conclusionCurrent trail running literature consists mainly of injury and illness outcomes specifically in relation to single-day race participation events. Limited evidence is available on training-related injury and illness in trail running. Our review showed that injury and illness are common among trail runners, but certain studies included in this review only focused on dermatological injuries (e.g. large number of feet blisters) and GIT symptoms. Specific areas for future research were identified that could improve the management of trail running injury and illness.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.