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Knee pain is associated with lower back pain in young baseball players: a cross-sectional study

  • Sports Medicine
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Considerable research has focused on shoulder and elbow injuries among baseball players; however, although lumbar spine and knee injuries are commonly experienced, they are less frequently studied. During common motions in baseball, such as throwing, hitting, and running, energy is transferred from the lower extremities through the lower back to the upper body. Lower extremity pain, as well as lower back pain (LBP), can disrupt the kinematic chain, and it is important to understand the association between lower extremity complaints and LBP. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between knee pain and LBP among young baseball players.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with young baseball players (aged 6–15 years, n = 1,609) using a self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were used for analyses. Variables considered in the models were sex, age, body mass index, team levels, number of days of training per week, number of hours in practice per day on weekdays and weekend, frequency of participation in games, practice intensity, and player position.

Results

The point prevalence of LBP and knee pain was 8.4% and 13.1%, respectively. Knee pain was significantly associated with LBP. Using the absence of knee pain as a reference, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for LBP was 5.83 (3.93–8.65) (p < 0.001) in the presence of knee pain.

Conclusions

Knee pain was associated with LBP among young baseball players. Clinicians should pay attention to knee complaints to prevent and treat LBP among young baseball players.

Level of evidence

III.

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Acknowledgements

This study was performed as part of the Miyagi Sports Medical Projects, and supported by Asahi Breweries.

Funding

This study was fully funded by research funds from the Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan

    Yutaka Yabe, Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Takuya Sekiguchi, Kenji Kanazawa, Masashi Koide, Nobuyuki Itaya, Shinichirou Yoshida, Yasuhito Sogi, Toshihisa Yano & Eiji Itoi

  2. Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Kaoru Kuroki & Ryoichi Nagatomi

  3. Division of Biomedical Engineering for Health and Welfare, Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Haruki Momma & Ryoichi Nagatomi

  4. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Tohoku Fukushi University, 1-8-1 Kunimi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 981-8522, Japan

    Masahiro Tsuchiya

  5. Department of Rehabilitation, Tohoku Fukushi University, 1-8-1 Kunimi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 981-8522, Japan

    Kaoru Kuroki

Authors
  1. Yutaka Yabe
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  2. Yoshihiro Hagiwara
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  3. Takuya Sekiguchi
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  4. Haruki Momma
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  5. Masahiro Tsuchiya
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  6. Kaoru Kuroki
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  7. Kenji Kanazawa
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  8. Masashi Koide
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  9. Nobuyuki Itaya
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  10. Shinichirou Yoshida
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  11. Yasuhito Sogi
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  12. Toshihisa Yano
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  13. Eiji Itoi
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  14. Ryoichi Nagatomi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoshihiro Hagiwara.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

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All study participants provided written informed consent.

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Cite this article

Yabe, Y., Hagiwara, Y., Sekiguchi, T. et al. Knee pain is associated with lower back pain in young baseball players: a cross-sectional study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 27, 985–990 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5129-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5129-6

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