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Epidemiology of Injuries in Sports pp 21–27Cite as

Athletics: Sprinting

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Abstract

The Athletics discipline of sprints consists in running as fast as possible a predetermined distance up to 400 m. The practice of sprints can lead to a risk of injuries, which can affect all tissues constituting the musculoskeletal structure (especially muscle and tendon, but also bone, cartilage, ligament or soft tissue). A good view of the extent of the problem is a fundamental first step in injury prevention. As an overall picture of the injuries sustained by sprinters, typical injuries are hamstring muscle injuries, Achilles tendinopathies, stress fractures and low back pain. The prevention of sprinting-related injuries represents an important challenge for the athletes and all stakeholders around them. Maximal sprinting should be considered not only as a part of the problem but also, and more importantly, as a part of the solution, in a ‘win–win’ strategy by improving sprint performance and injury prevention.

Keywords

  • Sprints
  • Hamstring
  • Achilles tendon
  • Stress fracture
  • Trunk

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Science (LIBM EA 7424), University of Lyon, University Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France

    Pascal Edouard

  2. Sports Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical and Exercise Physiology, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France

    Pascal Edouard

  3. European Athletics Medical and Anti Doping Commission, European Athletics Association (EAA), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Pascal Edouard

Authors
  1. Pascal Edouard
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Correspondence to Pascal Edouard .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Sports Traumatology, Koelliker Hospital, TORINO, Italy

    Dr. Gian Luigi Canata

  2. Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic, Montijo, Portugal

    Dr. Henrique Jones

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Edouard, P. (2022). Athletics: Sprinting. In: Canata, G.L., Jones, H. (eds) Epidemiology of Injuries in Sports . Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64532-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64532-1_4

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