PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS IN THE PREVENTION OF STRESS FRACTURES IN RUNNERS – INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Running practice has grown significantly in recent decades and is recognized for its benefits to physical and mental health. However, the increase in the number of practitioners has been accompanied by a higher incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, especially stress fractures resulting from continuous exposure to repetitive mechanical loads. In this context, sports physical therapy plays an important role in identifying risk factors and implementing preventive strategies capable of reducing the occurrence of these injuries. This study aimed to describe, through scientific literature, the main physiotherapeutic interventions used in the prevention of stress fractures in runners. This is an integrative literature review conducted through a systematic search in the SciELO, LILACS and PubMed databases using descriptors related to sports physical therapy, stress fractures, injury prevention and runners. Articles published within the last ten years, available in full text and written in Portuguese, English and Spanish were included. The results demonstrated that biomechanical analysis of running, muscle strengthening, proprioceptive training, health education, training load adjustment and individualized physiotherapeutic approaches are effective strategies to reduce factors associated with stress fractures. It is concluded that preventive physical therapy contributes significantly to maintaining functionality, sports performance and quality of life among runners, reinforcing the importance of evidence-based protocols.