Musculoskeletal Health, Quality, and Injury Profiles in Collegiate Track and Field and Cross-Country Athletes

Collegiate Track and Field and Cross-Country (TF-XC) athletes require high training volumes, potentially contributing to their elevated injury rates. But concurrent examination of musculoskeletal injury (MSKI), health, anatomical structure, and performance is rare. This study's purpose was to compare training habits, MSKI history, bone health, body composition, muscle morphology, and neuromuscular characteristics between collegiate TF-XC athletes and controls.

Thirty TF-XC athletes (n=21 females; n=9 males) and 30 physically active, sex-, age-, and body mass-matched controls completed training and MSKI history questionnaires, Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry scans, ultrasonography of the lower body musculature, and knee extensor isometric force testing with surface electromyography. Independent t-tests, analyses of covariance, and Cohen's d effect sizes compared group differences, and α=0.050.

Athletes presented a 3-fold higher MSKI incidence than controls (p<0.001; d=0.96), despite greater total body bone mineral density (BMD) Z-Scores (p=0.008; d=0.81) and regional BMD (all p≤0.005; d≥0.78), and lower muscle echogenicity (better muscle quality) (all p≤0.002; d≥0.87). However, athletes' muscle size and force production were similar to controls (both p≥0.200; d≤0.62).

Though TF-XC demonstrated better bone health and muscle quality than non-athletes, their muscle size and force similarities may suggest potential sport-specific mechanical loading inadequacies, coinciding with high MSKI rates.