Low Back Pain and Injury in Athletes

Low back pain is an extremely common entity in the general population. Athletes are no different in their affliction for suffering low back pain and injuries, particularly in sports that carry specific low back demands. Whilst traditionally low back pain in the non-athletic population has been thought of in terms of being acute or chronic in nature, recent longterm epidemiological studies have suggested there is a need to revise views regarding the natural history of low back pain. Low back pain is not simply either acute or chronic but fluctuates over time with frequent recurrences or exacerbations and should not be considered self-limiting. The natural history of low back pain in athletes is most probably no different. The very nature of athletic preparation requires mechanical overload. Athletic manoeuvres produce significant compressive forces directed at the lumbar spine. A tradeoff is likely to exist between athletic demands and injury, with greater duration of training, training intensity and a lack of relative rest occurring at the expense of tissue overload and ongoing injury. This may explain why some athletes tend to have more persistent, chronic and recurrent low back symptoms, frequently associated with early degenerative joint disease.