Information about a piece of news titled Low back pain not more common among former rowers and cross-country skiers
Low back pain not more common among former rowers and cross-country skiers
Intoduction
Low back pain was not more common among former endurance athletes with specific back loading compared to the general population, according to a new study from the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center.
The consequences of repetitive extension and flexion loading in endurance sports are not clear.
Rowers and cross-country skiers do have to flex and extend their spines numerous times just in one competition or an exercise bout.
- They expose their backs to monotonous movements for a number of years, said researcher and physiotherapist Ida Stange Foss, whose study was recently published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine and got focus i Reuters.
Large sample surveyed twice
The study included 173 former rowers and 242 cross-country skiers who had been surveyed back in 2000. Foss's team surveyed them again in 2010, asking about their training and exercise levels over the past decade and any problems with back pain.
For comparison, the researchers surveyed in addition 116 non-athletes and 209 athletes in orienteering, a sport that involves outdoor running and no specific strain on the back.
About 56% of the former athletes with specific back loading reported low back pain in the past year. Compared to 53% of the non-athletic control group, this difference could have been interpreted due to chance.
- This is an important and positive message for the athletes, Foss said.
High training intensity may provoke pain
Rowers and skiers who had trained harder in the past year, more than 550 hours, were more likely to have had a bout of low back pain in the past year, although the pain was generally short-lived.
Back in the 2000 survey of these same athletes, the researchers did find that lower back pain became more common as elite rowers and skiers bumped up their training to get ready for competition.
Vary your training
Cross-country skiers had more pain when they used "classic" techniques rather than freestyle.
- These findings indicate that it is important to vary movement patterns and techniques, especially during intense training periods, Foss added.
This study was conducted by MSc PT Ida Stange Foss, Ingar Holme and supervisor and co-chair of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Roald Bahr.
Read the study in American Journal of Sports Medicine (pdf).