The Italian version of the University of Wisconsin Running Injury and Recovery Index (UWRI): cross-cultural adaptation, validity and reliability

Objectives: To translate, cross-culturally adapt and study the psychometric properties of the Wisconsin Running Injury and Recovery Index (UWRI) in Italian runners with running-related injuries (RRI). Design: clinometric study. Setting: 5 private outpatient physical therapy clinics. Participants: 144 subjects with RRI. Main outcome measures: UWRI translation was performed following international guidelines. Structural validity (confirmatory factor analysis [CFA]), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha [α]), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]), measurement error (minimal detectable change [MDC]), and construct validity (hypothesis testing). Results: UWRI translation was performed without issues. CFA showed a two-factor structure (i.e., running progression and symptom surveillance subscale) (comparative fit index = 0.988; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.977; root mean square error of approximation = 0.049; standardized root mean square residual = 0.042). Each subscale presented high internal consistency (α = 0.92 and 0.75 for the running progression and symptom surveillance subscales, respectively), excellent and good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.99 and 0.89 for the running progression and symptom surveillance subscales, respectively), and acceptable measurement error (MDC = 0.33 and 2.3 points for the running progression and symptom surveillance subscales, respectively). Construct validity was moderate for both subscales as 50.0 % (2/4) of a-priori hypotheses were satisfied. Conclusion: The validation process revealed acceptable psychometric properties of the UWRI Italian version, which can be used for research and clinical purposes.