Do we underestimate the frequency of ankle sprains in running? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the proportion of ankle sprains in running practices.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Main outcome measures

We calculated the weighted summary proportion and conducted meta-analyses for runners, considering levels (elite/recreational) and disciplines (distance, track, cross-country, trail, and orienteering).

Results

32 studies were included in the systematic review and 19 were included in the meta-analysis with a level of quality ranging from poor to good. Proportion of ankle sprains in runners was 13.69% (95%CI = 7.40–21.54; I² = 98.58%) in global, 12.20% (95%CI = 5.24–21.53; I² = 89.31%) in elite, 19.40% (95%CI = 10.05–30.90; I² = 99.09%) in recreational, 8.51% (95%CI = 4.22–14.12; I² = 96.15%) in distance, 67.42% (95%CI = 0.50–82.85; I² = 99.36%) in track, 27.07% (95%CI = 12.48–44.81; I² = 97.97%) in cross-country, and 25.70% (95%CI = 19.87–32.14; I² = 0.00) in orienteering.

Conclusions

Running practice results in significant proportion rate of ankle sprains. Recreational runners exhibit higher proportion than elite. Running disciplines, especially track, cross-country, and orienteering, influence reported ankle sprain rates, surpassing those of distance runners.