Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the University of Wisconsin Running Injury and Recovery Index (UWRI), a self-reported measure that allows runners to assess their running ability following running-related injuries, and to examine its reliability and construct validity.
Methods & Results: The Japanese version was developed with permission from the original author in accordance with established cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. The study included 74 recreational runners (mean age, 49.5 years; mean running experience, 11.8 years; mean monthly running distance, 181.8 km). of the 74 runners, 64 (86.5%) reported pain during running, and 26 (35.1%) were undergoing rehabilitation; knee problems were the most common in the rehabilitation group. The UWRI consists of nine items covering four domains: running progression, psychological factors, pain, and recovery. Cronbach's α was 0.74. The UWRI score was negatively correlated with pain intensity measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (r=-0.74) and positively correlated with perceived improvement in running ability assessed using the Global Rating of Change scale (GROC) (r=0.64). The rehabilitation group had a significantly lower mean UWRI score than the non-rehabilitation group (17.7 vs 28.3, p<0.001).
Conclusion: The Japanese version of the UWRI demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and construct validity and may be useful as a self-reported measure for assessing running condition following running-related injury.
