Study finds no link between running injuries and crookedness
Eight articles on PainSci cite Junior 2016: 1. The Complete Guide to IT Band Syndrome 2. The Complete Guide to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome 3. Complete Guide to Plantar Fasciitis 4. Shin Splints Treatment, The Complete Guide 5. Are Orthotics Worth It? 6. The Causes of Runner's Knee Are Rarely Obvious 7. Your Back Is Not Out of Alignment 8. Does barefoot running prevent injuries?

PainSci commentary on Junior 2016: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
Do runners with anatomical quirks get more injuries than symmetrical and aligned runners? This study was another attempt to settle an old question that just won’t die.
It was the right kind of study (prospective), but perhaps a bit underpowered with only 89 subjects and just 12 weeks of monitoring for new injuries. I wish I could see the same data for a couple hundred runners over six months. Subtle vulnerabilities might take quite a while to crop up, particularly in runners who have already gotten through at least six months without any injury. Still, 24 of these runners did get injured in those twelve weeks — which is a lot! — and “we did not find significant associations between lower limb length discrepancy, Q-angle, subtalar angle and plantar arch index and injury occurrence.”
Surprise surprise. And so, as we’ve known for years, either there’s no relationship between running injuries and anatomical imperfections at all … or it’s too subtle to detect easily, in which case who really cares? These things are mostly impossible to fix anyway.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
There is conflicting evidence on the association between lower limb alignment characteristics and the incidence of running-related injury (RRI). Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between lower limb alignment characteristics and the incidence proportion of running-related injury in a convenience sample of recreational runners. A total of 89 recreational runners were included in this prospective cohort study. These participants had been running for at least six months and were injury-free at baseline. Lower limb alignment measurements were conducted in order to calculate lower limb discrepancy, Q-angle, subtalar angle and plantar index. All participants also answered a baseline and biweekly online surveys about their running routine, history of RRI and newly developed RRI over a period of 12 weeks. The prevalence of previous RRI and the 12-week incidence proportion of new RRI were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between lower limb length discrepancy, Q-angle, subtalar angle and plantar ach index with the incidence proportion of RRI. The prevalence of previous RRI was 55.1% (n = 49). The 12-week incidence proportion of new RRI was 27.0% (n = 24). Muscle injuries and tendinopathies were the main types of RRI identified. The lower leg and the knee were the main anatomical regions affected. We did not find significant associations between lower limb length discrepancy, Q-angle, subtalar angle and plantar arch index and injury occurrence.
related content
- “Suspected Mechanisms in the Cause of Overuse Running Injuries: A Clinical Review,” Ferber et al, Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 2009.
- “A Biomechanical Perspective of Predicting Injury Risk in Running,” Hreljac et al, International SportMed Journal, 2006.
- “Lower limb joint kinetics in walking: the role of industry recommended footwear,” Keenan et al, Gait & Posture, 2011.
- “Risk factors and mechanisms of knee injury in runners,” Messier et al, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2008.
- “Comparison of symptoms and clinical findings in subgroups of individuals with patellofemoral pain,” Näslund et al, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2006.
- “Veteran Biomechanics Expert Benno Nigg Doubts That Barefootin', Forefootin' Or Pronation-Control Will Change Injury Rates,” Amby Burfoot, Runnersworld.com.
- “A prospective investigation of biomechanical risk factors for patellofemoral pain syndrome: the Joint Undertaking to Monitor and Prevent ACL Injury (JUMP-ACL) cohort,” Boling et al, American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009.
- “Re-evaluating the functional implications of the Q-angle and its relationship to in-vivo patellofemoral kinematics,” Freedman et al, Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 2014.
- “Frontal plane biomechanics in males and females with and without patellofemoral pain,” Nakagawa et al, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2012.
- “Somatosensory and Biomechanical Abnormalities in Females with Patellofemoral Pain,” Noehren et al, The Clinical Journal of Pain, 2015.
- “Relation between running injury and static lower limb alignment in recreational runners,” Lun et al, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004.
- “A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Meniscectomy,” Salata et al, American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2010.
- “Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review,” van Gent et al, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.
- Prediction of an extruded fragment in lumbar disc patients from clinical presentations. Pople 1994 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
- Characteristics of patients with low back and leg pain seeking treatment in primary care: baseline results from the ATLAS cohort study. Konstantinou 2015 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.