The Relationship Between Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, and Injury in Athletes: A Critically Appraised Topic

Eating disorders (EDs) and disordered eating (DE) result in numerous physical and psychological complications for female and male athletes. Besides bone-related injury, little research exists investigating what injuries EDs and/or DE contribute to.

Are EDs and/or DE a risk factor for injury incidence in athletes?

We searched for prospective studies assessing EDs or DE as a risk factor for injury in female or male athletes high school age and older. Our search returned 5 studies. One study found Eds, or DE were not a risk for any type of injury in female cross-country and track-and-field athletes. Two studies found a possible relationship between EDs or DE, as one contributing factor of others, in the incidence of bone stress injuries (BSIs) in female athletes who compete in various sports. One study found female, but not male, cross-country and track-and-field athletes with a history of EDs were more at risk for stress fractures than those without a history. One study found Eds, or DE were not a risk for BSI in female runners and triathletes.

Large and important gaps in the literature exist investigating injuries related to EDs or DE outside of BSIs. There is low-moderate evidence that EDs and/or DE are either a sole, or contributing, risk factor for BSIs in female athletes.

Grade B evidence exists to support the idea that EDs and/or DE are a risk factor for a specific type of injury (BSI) in female athletes only.