LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Orthopaedic Institute for Children announced today that for the second year it has joined in partnership with Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA) to help middle and high school students safely train for the Los Angeles Marathon. In its role as SRLA’s exclusive healthcare partner, OIC’s Center for Sports Medicine is providing injury prevention training sessions for coaches and educational materials for runners in addition to conducting a pilot study on the most common training injuries students sustain over the course of their marathon training program.
Students Run L.A. is a nonprofit organization that challenges approximately 3,000 at-risk students to experience the benefits of goal setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by participating in the Los Angeles Marathon. For many of the students, training for a marathon represents the first time they have committed to a specific long-term goal. By providing them an opportunity for incremental accomplishment and a supportive environment to help them on their way, SRLA gives the students the inspiration, excitement and encouragement to accomplish their goals.
“Each week we receive data from SRLA describing the injuries that occurred during that week’s training at 85 local schools. Our team at OIC then analyzes that data to identify trends and make recommendations that can help with future injury prevention,” says Jennifer Beck, M.D., associate director of OIC’s Center for Sports Medicine. “Training begins in September; and every month students participate in community races throughout the greater Los Angeles area, so we are continually gathering data as students work to improve their running form, build their core muscles, and achieve their goal of running in the marathon.”
Last month Dr. Beck presented their preliminary findings at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine conference in Florida. Earlier this month Dr. Joshua Goldman, associate director of the OIC Center for Sports Medicine, gave a mid-season presentation to participating leaders and coaches, sharing the data collected thus far this season along with recommendations to help with injury prevention.
During the current training season, 396 runners – nearly 19 percent of SRLA participants – have reported injuries. Of these, the largest number of injuries affected the knee (31 percent), lower leg (22 percent), foot (15 percent) and ankle (13 percent). Dr. Goldman, who also serves as the team physician for UCLA’s football, soccer, water polo and baseball teams, says that such findings are consistent with historical data showing that knee pain is the most common source of pain amongst runners. Previous studies have found that anterior knee pain accounts for 11 percent of all musculoskeletal complaints in runners.
“We are unaware of any other healthcare organization currently performing this type of prospective research in youth marathoners, so there is incredible interest both in the sports medicine and running world with regard to our research,” said Dr. Goldman. “We will continue to gather information until the March 18 marathon; and then this July, as we did last year, we will report back to the group with our final findings and recommendations for improved training techniques for the 2019 marathon.”
OIC’s Center for Sports Medicine is a state-of-the-art facility staffed by a multidisciplinary team including sports medicine physicians, pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, athletic trainers and physical therapists, all focused on helping young athletes return to their sport activities as quickly and safely as possible. The center currently treats nearly 300 children each month, an 18 percent increase in cases over the prior year.
About Orthopaedic Institute for Children
Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) was founded in 1911 as Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. Focused solely on musculoskeletal conditions in children, OIC receives nearly 70,000 patient visits each year. In alliance with UCLA Health and with the support of the OIC Foundation, we advance pediatric orthopaedics worldwide through outstanding patient care, medical education and research. Our locations in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood and Calexico treat the full spectrum of pediatric orthopaedic disorders and injuries. For more information, visit us at ortho-institute.org.
