Combining biomechanics and epidemiology in running injury research

Most running injury studies have used either purely biomechanical or purely epidemiological methods. Results from biomechanical studies comprise stepwise kinematic and/or kinetic variables,e.g. joint angles and/or moments, while results from epidemiological studies comprise training variables (e.g. number and length of weekly sessions), anthropometric variables (e.g. body mass), as well as number and type of injuries.The problems with the purely biomechanical studies are that despite knowledge of stepwise load, we still cannot say how this accumulates over time (running session, weeks, ...) or when accumulated load exceeds the injury threshold. The problem with the purely epidemiological studies is that without biomechanical variables, it is impossible to establish the causal connection between (accumulated) load and injuries. By combining biomechanical and epidemiological methods, we aim to overcome these problems.Please note that this paper describes a work in progress.