Incidence and determinants of injuries sustained by older women during a walking program

This study was a retrospective analysis of injuries sustained by women (mea n age 60.9) who completed a 24-week walking intervention. We hypothesized t hat those who walked 60 min, 5 days/week (n = 27) were more likely to have an injury than those who walked 3 days/week (n = 27), and that predisposing conditions would lead to more injuries. We also examined the effect of the initial 4 weeks' walking progression on likelihood of injury. A total of 1 2% of the walkers reported injuries necessitating program withdrawal, 18% r eported minor injuries, and 26% reported injuries requiring medical treatme nt. Age, weight, cardiovascular fitness level, and walking volume were not significantly related to injuries. Women with prior musculoskeletal conditi ons were more likely to sustain injuries requiring medical treatment (p < . 01). For these women, the initial progression may have been too rapid, sugg esting that musculoskeletal screening and gradual progression guided by sta ff is important for moderate as well as intense activity programs.