On the epidemiology of running injuries : The 1984 Bern Grand-Prix study

In brief: This retrospective survey of the clinical records of 1,650 patients seen from 1978 to 1980 identified 1,819 injuries. Almost 60% of the patients were men, but women under age 30 had the greatest risk of overuse running injuries. The knee was the most commonly injured site, and patellofemoral pain syndrome was the most common injury. Most patients had moderate to severe degrees of varus alignment and subsequent overpronation. Because certain injuries were more frequent in one sex or the other, the authors say future studies should differentiate injuries by sex.

Vigorous exercise is associated with a sensation of well-being, and this subjective state has been objectively quantified with psychometric, cardiovascular, and neurophysiological data. Reductions in state anxiety have been demonstrated to follow acute physical activity, and this response persists for 2-5 h. Chronic physical activity has been associated with reductions in anxiety and depression, as well as increases in self-esteem. This research has been limited to designs of a correlational nature, and the issue of causality vs mere association has not been resolved or addressed. Three hypotheses based upon distraction, monoamine metabolism, and endorphin release are discussed in this paper. Investigators have traditionally attempted to illustrate the mechanism involved in improved mood following exercise by testing one of these or related hypotheses, but it is likely that advances will not be made in this area until these hypotheses are examined in a multiple or synergistic manner. It is concluded that each of the hypotheses reviewed remains tenable.