Musculoskeletal Imaging of Runners

The investigators aimed to assess the impact of long-distance running on musculoskeletal system of runners, by doing high resolution magnetic resonance imaging analysis before and after marathon running.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Radiation: 3T MRI

Detailed Description

Rationale for the study: This research will examine a key modifiable risk factor for health and well- being: exercise. Regular exercise is highly recommended by healthcare professionals because the whole body benefits, including cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal systems and mental wellbeing. Long-distance running is a popular physical activity with more than 30 million individuals running marathons each year. The increasing participation of first-time runners, including older people, has been linked to a rise in related injuries. The ideal dose of exercise is not known and overdosage affects some musculoskeletal tissues and joints more than others. Overdoing a specific amount of exercise and the presence of chronic injuries may pose a great risk on the joints, leading to serious conditions such as osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal injuries, tendinopathy. However, it is not yet clear whether a high dose of exercise such as marathon running damages the musculoskeletal system and there is a growing need for research in the area of running science to better understand this.

Aim: This research aims to do musculoskeletal imaging before and after long-distance running using 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and to provide evidence on how much exercise people should undertake and how to minimise injury.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 52

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • London, United Kingdom
    • Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

asymptomatic long-distance runners

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• no previous marathon participations
• no present or previous history of hip injuries or surgeries
• asymptomatic hip joints
• no contradindications to hip MRI scanning

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnant or breastfeeding women
• individuals aged <18 years
• claustrophobia
• history of anxiety or panic attacks
• known hip problems

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in radiographic score after marathon running	up to 1 year
Change in self-reported hip questionnaire after marathon running	up to 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number of participants who finished the training for/and the marathon vs not finishing	up to 4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 4, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): May 13, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2020
• Last Verified: May 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 13823/001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No