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Low back pain in athletes and non-athletes: a group comparison of basic pain parameters and impact on sports activity

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Abstract

Introduction

Low back pain (LBP) is a major health issue in athletes and non-athletes often accompanied by considerable restrictions in everyday functioning. Knowledge about differences between those groups regarding LBP parameters (intensity, duration, and disability) and their influence on daily life is still lacking. Hence, the present study aimed at the comparison of those LBP parameters between athletes and non-athletes and the impact of these factors on sports activity.

Methods

LBP patients receiving prescribed sport- or physiotherapeutic treatment (N = 264) completed a questionnaire battery to determine their LBP pain intensity, duration, chronification, disability, and changes in sports activity. The categorization into athletes and non-athletes was based on performance level. Uni- and multivariate analyses of (Co-) variance and nonparametric group comparisons were executed to analyze group differences.

Results

Disability was lower in the athlete’s group, especially concerning work ability (p < 0.05). Athletes rather continued with their sports activity despite LBP (p < 0.001). The interaction between age and difference in training volume showed that non-athletes (<29 years) reported a greater reduction of training volume from a pain free to a LBP phase compared to athletes in the respective age group.

Conclusions

The results imply that athletes with LBP perceive less impairment than non-athletes concerning disability and changes in training volume. Possible explanations can be inferred from different socialization processes and pain coping mechanisms among athletes. The outcomes contribute to the existing literature by adding specific knowledge about dissimilarities between athletes and non-athletes regarding the appraisal of LBP.

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Abbreviations

LBP:

Low back pain

CPGS:

Chronic pain grade scale

DTV:

Difference in the training volume

ANCOVA:

Analysis of covariance

MANCOVA:

Multivariate analysis of covariance

M:

Mean

SD:

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgments

The present study was initiated and funded by the German Federal Institute of Sport Science (IIA1–080102B/11–14). The research was realized within MiSpEx—The National Research Network for Medicine in Spine Exercise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Sport Psychology, Faculty of Sport Science, Ruhr University, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Jahan Heidari, Tobias Mierswa & Michael Kellmann

  2. Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Monika Hasenbring & Claudia Levenig

  3. Department of Health and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Jens Kleinert & Ida Ott

  4. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

    Michael Kellmann

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  1. Jahan Heidari
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Correspondence to Jahan Heidari.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Heidari, J., Mierswa, T., Hasenbring, M. et al. Low back pain in athletes and non-athletes: a group comparison of basic pain parameters and impact on sports activity. Sport Sci Health 12, 297–306 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-016-0288-7

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