PREVALENCE OF INJURIES IN BRAZILIAN RECREATIONAL STREET RUNNERS: META-ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT Street running is an accessible, low-cost form of exercise. However, the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries may hinder regular practice. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of injuries in Brazilian street runners and the associated factors. A meta-analysis of Brazilian studies was performed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of injuries in male and female recreational street runners aged ≥18 years. We excluded systematic review studies, research conducted on professional athletes or triathletes, and duplicate articles. The following databases were used: SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Keywords such as “prevalence,” “injury,” “recreational street runners,” and “Brazil” were used. Prevalence analysis was performed using the random effect model, and a funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. Then the Begg-Mazumdar and Egger tests were applied to quantify the graph results. The Prevalence Critical Appraisal Instrument was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies. Associated factors were analyzed with meta-regression analysis. Twenty-three studies with 3,786 runners were included in the review. The prevalence of injury was 36.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 30.8-42.5%), and a running distance per week greater than 20 km was a predictive variable of injuries. A higher prevalence of injuries was observed in men than in women (28.3%, 95% CI 22.5-35.0%), the knee was the most affected site of injury (32.9%, 95% CI 26.7-39.6%), and muscle injuries were the most frequent type of injury (27.9%, 95% CI 18.2-40.1%). This is the first national meta-analysis conducted to investigate the prevalence of injuries in recreational street runners. Although the prevalence of injuries was moderate, caution is required in terms of the weekly duration of running. Male runners are more susceptible, and muscle and knee injuries are the most common. Level of evidence II, Systematic reviewb of Level II Studies.