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Int J Sports Med 2020; 41(11): 736-743
DOI: 10.1055/a-1171-2331
Training & Testing

Increase in the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio relates to Injury Risk in Competitive Runners

Talko Bernhard Dijkhuis
1   University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
2   Institute of Communication, Media and ICT, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands
,
Ruby Otter
3   Institute of Sport Studies, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands
4   University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, Section Anatomy & Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
,
Marco Aiello
5   Institute for Architecture of Application Systems Service Computing, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
,
Hugo Velthuijsen
2   Institute of Communication, Media and ICT, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands
,
Koen Lemmink
6   University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
› Author Affiliations Funding: This work was supported by SIA RAAK-PRO under Grant [PRO-2–018] and [TOP.UP01.008]
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Correction: Increase in the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio relates to Injury Risk in Competitive RunnersInt J Sports Med 2020; 41(14): e15-e15
DOI: 10.1055/a-1208-9920

Abstract

Injuries of runners reduce the ability to train and hinder competing. Literature shows that the relation between potential risk factors and injuries are not definitive, limited, and inconsistent. In team sports, workload derivatives were identified as risk factors. However, there is an absence of literature in running on workload derivatives. This study used the workload derivatives acute workload, chronic workload, and acute: chronic workload ratios to investigate the relation between workload and injury risk in running. Twenty-three competitive runners kept a daily training log for 24 months. The runners reported training duration, training intensity and injuries. One-week (acute) and 4-week (chronic) workloads were calculated as the average of training duration multiplied by training intensity. The acute:chronic workload ratio was determined dividing the acute and chronic workloads. Results show that a fortnightly low increase of the acute:chronic workload ratio (0.10–0.78) led to an increased risk of sustaining an injury (p<0.001). Besides, a low increase of the acute:chronic workload ratio (0.05–0.62) between the second week and third week before an injury showed an association with increased injury risk (p=0.013). These findings demonstrate that the acute:chronic workload ratio relates to injury risk.

Key words

injury and prevention - prediction - rating of perceived exertion


Publication History

Received: 26 November 2019

Accepted: 17 April 2020

Article published online:
02 June 2020

© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Stuttgart · New York

 

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