Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome Prevention

Efficacy of a Lower Leg Strengthening Program in the Prevention of MTSS in Collegiate XC Runners

This randomized controlled trial investigated whether a 10-week heavy resistance training program reduced the incidence of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) in collegiate indoor track and field athletes. Twenty-six athletes from Rowan University were randomly assigned to a treatment group (resistance training plus regular training) or a control group (regular training only). Muscle mechanical properties-including tone, stiffness, elasticity, stress relaxation time, and creep-were measured by MyotonPro device (non-invasive) at baseline, post-intervention, and at the end of the season. A 10-week observational follow-up during the indoor season included weekly MTSS symptom surveys. Differences in MTSS incidence and muscle properties were analyzed between groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Collegiate athletes on the Indoor Track and Field team.
• Athletes must participate in at least one of the following:
• 60m-800m events (including hurdles)
• jumping events (including pole vault)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects who have a history of musculoskeletal or neurologic conditions
• Who take medications that affect muscle tone
• Who have a body mass index >30.0 kg/m2 were excluded to screen to prevent adipose tissue from skewing the measurements.
• Any subject with any fractures, sprains, or strains of the lower extremities were excluded.
• Any subject with active MTSS, stress fracture, or other lower leg pathology symptoms at the time the initial survey was administered were excluded.
• Any athlete who does not participate in the 60m-800m events (including hurdles), or who does not participate in jumping events (including pole vault) were excluded.