Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Back Pain Among Professional Male Track and Field Athletes

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Sport Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran

2 Department of Sport Rehabilitation and Health, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Chronic non-specific low back pain is extremely common in the general population. Athletes are often at special risk for more serious  associated factors of low back pain, which are often sport-specific in their etiology.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and  associated factors of chronic non-specific low back pain in male athletes of track and field in the national league.  
 Materials and Methods: A total of 63 individuals were randomly selected to enter the study. The mean age of the subjects with the standard deviation was 25.2±4.5. To investigate the disability due to chronic non-specific low back pain, Oswestry questionnaire was used. For the evaluation of the pain perception, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was employed. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square (χ²), spearman correlation and multiple linear regression at a significance level of 0.05. All statistical calculations were done using SPSS-21 software. 
Results: Out of 63 subjects, 32 individuals (50.8%) had chronic non-specific low back pain. Of these, 29 subjects(46%)  had low disability and 3 subjects (4.8%) had moderate disability due to low back pain. None of the participants had  severeor very  severedisability. Pain perception measured using the VAS, had a mean of 35.4%. The most frequent cause of Chronic non-specific low back pain in track and field athletes was high-intensity training (26.7%, n=24), followed by training and activity location (21.1%, n=19) (x2= 64.88, p=0.000). The regression analysis showed a significant relationship between high-intensity training and Chronic non-specific low back pain among the mentioned athletes (p≤0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study shows a high epidemiology of Chronic non-specific low back pain in male track and field athletes, which requires serious attention. Additionally, high-intensity training and the location of training and activities were identified as key  associated factors in Chronic non-specific low back pain.

Keywords

References

  1. Edouard P, Dandrieux P-E, Iatropoulos S, Blanco D, Branco P, Guex K. Injuries in athletics (track and field): A narrative review presenting the current problem of injuries. Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin/German journal of sports medicine. 2024;75(4):132-41.
  2. Pardiwala DN, Subbiah K, Rao N, Modi R. Badminton injuries in elite athletes: A review of epidemiology and biomechanics. Indian journal of orthopaedics. 2020;54(3):237-45.
  3. Drew MK, Finch CF. The relationship between training load and injury, illness and soreness: a systematic and literature review. Sports medicine. 2016;46:861-83.
  4. Liang F. Research on Special Physical Training of Track and Field. Frontiers in Sport Research. 2020;2(4).
  5. Jacobsson J, Kowalski J, Timpka T, Hansson P-O, Spreco A, Dahlstrom O. Universal prevention through a digital health platform reduces injury incidence in youth athletics (track and field): a cluster randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;57(6):364-71.
  6. Maselli F, Storari L, Barbari V, Colombi A, Turolla A, Gianola S, et al. Prevalence and incidence of low back pain among runners: a systematic review. BMC musculoskeletal disorders. 2020;21:1-25.
  7. Müller J, Müller S, Stoll J, Fröhlich K, Otto C, Mayer F. Back pain prevalence in adolescent athletes. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports. 2017;27(4):448-54.
  8. Farahbakhsh F, Rostami M, Noormohammadpour P, Mehraki Zade A, Hassanmirazaei B, Faghih Jouibari M, et al. Prevalence of low back pain among athletes: A systematic review. Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. 2018;31(5):901-16.
  9. Fatoye F, Gebrye T, Odeyemi I. Real-world incidence and prevalence of low back pain using routinely collected data. Rheumatology international. 2019;39:619-26.
  10. Walker LE, Marcellino C, Gali B. The Other Aortic Syndrome–Intramural Hematoma and Neurological Deficit: Case Report. Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine. 2023;8(1):30.
  11. Abdinejad F, Emami M, Azadi M. The Relationship between various occupation and low back pain in men. 2002.
  12. Neason C, Samanna CL, Tagliaferri SD, Belavý DL, Bowe SJ, Clarkson MJ, et al. Running is acceptable and efficacious in adults with non-specific chronic low back pain: the ASTEROID randomised controlled trial. British journal of sports medicine. 2025;59(2):99-108.
  13. Cai C, Yang Y, Kong PW. Comparison of lower limb and back exercises for runners with chronic low back pain. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2017.
  14. Trainor TJ, Trainor MA. Etiology of low back pain in athletes. Current sports medicine reports. 2004;3:41-6.
  15. Kim JH, ji Hong Y, Lee G. Efficacy of a Lower Back Intensive Rehabilitation Program in Occupational Injury Patients and Characteristics of Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research. 2022;28:e936357-1.
  16. Ribeiro-Alvares JB, Dornelles MP, Fritsch CG, de Lima-E-Silva FX, Medeiros TM, Severo-Silveira L, et al. Prevalence of hamstring strain injury risk factors in professional and under-20 male football (soccer) players. Journal of sport rehabilitation. 2020;29(3):339-45.
  17. Ebrahimi Varkiani M, Alizadeh MH, Rajabi R, Minoonejad H. Comparing two sports injury surveillance systems: A novel systematic approach. Physical Treatments-Specific Physical Therapy Journal. 2020;10(3):135-44.
  18. Ekstrand J, Bengtsson H, Waldén M, Davison M, Khan KM, Hägglund M. Hamstring injury rates have increased during recent seasons and now constitute 24% of all injuries in men’s professional football: the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study from 2001/02 to 2021/22. British journal of sports medicine. 2023;57(5):292-8.
  19. Prieto-González P, Martínez-Castillo JL, Fernández-Galván LM, Casado A, Soporki S, Sánchez-Infante J. Epidemiology of sports-related injuries and associated risk factors in adolescent athletes: an injury surveillance. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2021;18(9):4857.
  20. Ghazal S, Minoonejad H, Alizadeh M, Mansori MH. Epidemiology of sport injuries at Tehran crossfit gyms: retrospective study. Studies in Sport Medicine. 2021;13(29):17-34.
  21. da Silva MV, Pereira B. Biomechanics of lower limb injuries. Injuries and Health Problems in Football: What Everyone Should Know: Springer; 2017. p. 53-64.
  22. Karadağ A, Canbaş M. Evaluation of the correlation between the Istanbul Low Back Pain Disability Index, Back Pain Functional Scale and other back pain disability scales in Turkish patients with low back pain. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. 2022;35(4):771-5.
  23. Mokhtarinia HR, Hosseini A, Maleki-Ghahfarokhi A, Gabel CP, Zohrabi M. Cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Persian version of the spine functional index. Health and quality of life outcomes. 2018;16:1-9.
  24. Shojaedin S, Ghasemi F. The effects of two methods exercise therapy on military personnel with chronic Low Back pain. 2014.
  25. Begum MR, Hossain MA. Validity and reliability of visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain measurement. Journal of Medical Case Reports and Reviews. 2019;2(11).
  26. Trainor TJ, Wiesel SW. Epidemiology of back pain in the athlete. Clinics in sports medicine. 2002;21(1):93-103.
  27. Tall RL, DeVault W. Spinal injury in sport: epidemiologic considerations. Clinics in sports medicine. 1993;12(3):441-8.
  28. Shi W, Tian D, Liu D, Yin J, Huang Y. The comparison of measurement between ultrasound and computed tomography for abnormal degenerative facet joints: a STROBE-compliant article. Medicine. 2017;96(31):e7680.
  29. Micheli LJ, Wood R. Back pain in young athletes: significant differences from adults in causes and patterns. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine. 1995;149(1):15-8.
  30. Tunås P, Nilstad A, Myklebust G. Low back pain in female elite football and handball players compared with an active control group. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy. 2015;23:2540-7.
  31. Hérnandez-Stender CL, Molina-Rueda F, Cuesta-Gómez A, Alguacil-Diego IM. Lower limb muscle activation during outdoor running: differences between sprinters, middle-distance and long-distance runners. Sports Biomechanics. 2024;23(7):949-60.
  32. Maas E, De Bie J, Vanfleteren R, Hoogkamer W, Vanwanseele B. Novice runners show greater changes in kinematics with fatigue compared with competitive runners. Sports biomechanics. 2018;17(3):350-60.
  33. Mistry GS, Vyas NJ, Sheth MS. Comparison of hamstrings flexibility in subjects with chronic low back pain versus normal individuals. J Clin Exp Res. 2014;2(1):85.
  34. Mieszała W, Demczuk-Włodarczyk E, Chromik K, Hawrylak A, Małachowska-Sobieska M. Examining relationships of the anterior pelvic tilt angle with the anterior-posterior curvatures and elongation of the spine. Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics. 2019;21(1):37-44.
  35. FAPTA DANPP. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation. 2010.
  36. Gill KP, Callaghan MJ. The measurement of lumbar proprioception in individuals with and without low back pain. Spine. 1998;23(3):371-7.
  37. McPherson M, Pickett W. Characteristics of martial art injuries in a defined Canadian population: a descriptive epidemiological study. BMC public health. 2010;10:1-7.
  38. Ekhator C, Bellegarde SB, Nduma BN, Qureshi MQ, Fonkem E. The spine is the tree of Life: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the radiographic findings related to spinal injuries in athletes. Cureus. 2024;16(4).
  39. Callihan ML, McCoy T, Reed C, Morley C, Law E, Philipps T. Save your back: comparison of the compressive force on the lower back based on differences in the training techniques. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2024;50(5):651-9.
  40. Keskula DR. Kinesiology: The Mechanics and Pathomechanics of Human Movement. Physical Therapy. 2004;84(3):291.
  41. MacRae CS, Critchley D, Morrissey M, Shortland A, Lewis JS. Do rocker-sole shoes influence postural stability in chronic low back pain? A randomised trial. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2016;2(1):e000170.
  42. Abdallah AA, Mohamed NA, Hegazy MA. A comparative study of core musculature endurance and strength between soccer players with and without lower extremity sprain and strain injury. International journal of sports physical therapy. 2019;14(4):525.
  43. Bernard J-C, Bard R, Pujol A, Combey A, Boussard D, Begue C, et al., editors. Muscle assessment in healthy teenagers: comparison with teenagers with low back pain. Annales de réadaptation et de médecine physique; 2008: Elsevier.
  44. Moussa AZB, Zouita S, Salah FB, Behm D, Chaouachi A. Isokinetic trunk strength, validity, reliability, normative data and relation to physical performance and low back pain: A review of the literature. International journal of sports physical therapy. 2020;15(1):160.
  45. Sakai Y, Watanabe T, Wakao N, Matsui H, Osada N, Sugiura T, et al. Proprioception and geriatric low back pain. Spine Surgery and Related Research. 2022;6(5):422-32.
  46. Brumagne S, Cordo P, Lysens R, Verschueren S, Swinnen S. The role of paraspinal muscle spindles in lumbosacral position sense in individuals with and without low back pain. Spine. 2000;25(8):989-94.
  47. Singla D, Veqar Z. Methods of postural assessment used for sports persons. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2014;8(4):LE01.
  48. Petering RC, Webb C. Treatment options for low back pain in athletes. Sports Health. 2011;3(6):550-5.
  49. Hui Z, Wang Z. Efficacy of American physical therapy clinical practice guidelines in treating lower back pain among track and field athletes. Theoretical and Natural Science. 2024;37:125-30.
  50. Han T, Schouten J, Lean M, Seidell J. The prevalence of low back pain and associations with body fatness, fat distribution and height. International journal of obesity. 1997;21(7):600-7.
  51. Ruffilli A, Neri S, Manzetti M, Barile F, Viroli G, Traversari M, et al. Epigenetic factors related to low back pain: a systematic review of the current literature. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023;24(3):1854.
Sport Sciences and Health Research
Volume 17, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 65-76

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics