To Evaluate the Effectiveness of an Injury Prevention Program in Athletics (PREVATHLE)

The practice of Athletics leads to risk of injuries: about 61 to 76% athletes will occurred at least one injury during a season. The prevention of Athletics injuries thus represents a major challenge for all stakeholders around athletes. In team sports, injury prevention programs have been implemented and scientifically validated. However, no injury prevention programs have been implemented and scientifically validated for Athletics. In this context, a primary objective will be to analyze the effectiveness of an Athletics Injury Prevention Program (AIPP) to reduce the frequency (percentage) of athletes presenting at least one injury complaint related to athletic practice at long term (40 weeks). A statistician will carry out a randomized control trial in cluster (clubs with AIPP and clubs without AIPP), multicenter, including athletes between 15 and 40 years old and licensed in athletic clubs and followed during an athletic season.

The person in charge of the platform will collect on a weekly basis via a IT-questionnaire sent out automatically every Monday the following parameters: injury complaints (presence or absence, and characteristics if presence) and exposure (number of hours of athletic practice (training and competition) and intensity), and the number of AIPP realization per week. The main criterion will be the frequency (percentage) of athletes presenting at least one injury complaint that have a consequence on the practice (reduction or cessation of practice).

The Athletics Injury Prevention Program (AIPP) will be performed by experimental group twice a week. The AIPP is composed of 8 exercises including core stability, balance, pelvic stabilization, stretching and strengthening of the Achilles tendon and hamstrings.

Frequency of athletes presenting at least one injury complaint and have a consequence on the practice (reduction or cessation of practice).

the 4 consequences of injury complaint are : No consequence of athletic practice; reduce practice; Stop practice; and Consequence of practice

Inclusion Criteria: To dismissed in athletics clubs affiliated to French Federation of Athletics To practice one of the disciplines of athletics Men or women aged between 15 and 40 years Exclusion Criteria: - Patient's refusal to participate in the study and / or inability to express agreement or signing the informed consent

Edouard P, Steffen K, Peuriere M, Gardet P, Navarro L, Blanco D. Effect of an Unsupervised Exercises-Based Athletics Injury Prevention Programme on Injury Complaints Leading to Participation Restriction in Athletics: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 28;18(21):11334. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111334.