Performance Motion Analysis Unable to Predict Running-Related Injury in Collegiate Distance Runners

ABSTRACT Purpose: Running-related injury (RRI) is common among competitive collegiate distance runners who participate in the sport of cross country and long distance track and field. Many factors contribute to RRI. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if a 3D motion capture system’s performance motion analysis (PMA) report is capable of identifying factors predictive of RRI among collegiate distance runners during a cross country season. Methods: Thirty-one collegiate cross country runners (17 male, 14 female, mean age = 20.5 ± 1.4 years) gave their consent to participate in the investigation. Subjects were screened in the motion capture system and provided with PMA reports assessing their movement quality using several variables (composite score, power, strength, dysfunction, and vulnerability, based on measurements of 192 kinetic and kinematic variables). The athletes were then monitored throughout their 13-week competitive season for incidence of RRI. At the end of the season, participants were sorted into injured (n=17) and uninjured (n=14) groups. Injury was defined as appearing on the team injury report as missing or being limited in practice or competition for a week or more, in accordance with prior RRI research. Each sex was also separated into groups based on injury status. Results: Independent samples t-tests (pConclusion: The findings identified in this prospective study suggest that the movement screen was unable to identify runners at risk of injury. Future investigations isolating lower extremity movement characteristics in runners may prove more effective at predicting RRI