TRAILS: The Runners and Injury Longitudinal Study

People who run strike the ground with a force of as much as 15 times their body weight.

So it's no surprise that the body, particularly joints, don't always react kindly.

Knees wear down, shin splints develop, tissues in the heel inflame.

Stephen Messier, a professor in the health and exercise science department at Wake Forest University, said that up to 65 percent of runners will develop an overuse injury.

The Runners and Injury Longitudinal Study: Update

TRAILS: Meet Dr. Stephen Messier

We posted recently about our visit to Wake Forest University for participation in the TRAILS study.

Running Shorts interviewed Messier (above), professor and director of Wake's J.B Snow Biomechanics Laboratory, this week by phone. More from that in just a minute.

First, the background on TRAILS:

The Runners and Injury Longitudinal Study (TRAILS): Part II

People who run strike the ground with a force of as much as 15 times their body weight.

So it's no surprise that the body, particularly joints, don't always react kindly.

Knees wear down, shin splints develop, tissues in the heel inflame.

The Runners and Injury Longitudinal Study (TRAILS): Part I

Up to 65 percent of runners sustain an overuse injury each year. Wake Forest researchers, funded by a $600,000 grant from the U. S. Army, plan to find out why.

The two-year study, called The Runners and Injury Longitudinal Study or TRAILS, will determine the differences between runners who sustain an overuse injury and those who remain injury free.