Can GPS be used to detect deleterious progression in training volume among runners?
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective observational cohort study
PubMed 22990565 · doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182711e3c
What was done
Sixty novice runners were tracked in a 10-week prospective cohort study using GPS devices to quantify running training volume. Participants who developed symptoms underwent a clinical examination to confirm running-related injuries. GPS measurement error across open landscape, forest, and urban areas was also evaluated.
What was found
Thirteen participants sustained running-related injuries during the 10-week follow-up. Injured runners had a significantly higher progression in total weekly training volume in the week preceding injury onset compared with other weeks (86% [95% CI: 12.9% to 159.9%], p = 0.026). Injured runners had an overall weekly training volume increase of 31.6% compared with 22.1% in healthy participants, though this overall difference was not statistically significant. The GPS volume measurement error across terrains was <= 6.2%.
Why it matters
GPS devices provide acceptable accuracy for tracking running volume, and acute weekly volume spikes (potentially exceeding 30%) appear closely linked to injury onset in novice runners.
Limits
The cohort was small (60 runners total, 13 injured), causing very wide confidence intervals for the pre-injury volume surge. The follow-up was limited to 10 weeks in novice runners only, and the overall difference in progression rate between injured and non-injured runners was not statistically significant.
Cited by
- context Increasing physical training volume by no more than approximately 10% per week is a progression guideline to allow tissue tolerance to adapt and prevent overuse injury.