Abstract
Athletes may suffer from low back pain (LBP). Some studies have considered restricted range of motion (ROM) as a risk factor for LBP in athletes; however, ROM has not been evaluated in equestrian athletes (EAs) with LBP. The aims of this research in EAs were (I) to analyze the relationship between lower limb ROM (tightness and asymmetry) and LBP and (II) to determine the reference values for lower limb ROM indicating high risk of LBP. Forty-three young (9–18 years old) EAs were voluntarily recruited in technical training camps. The EAs were assessed for 11 passive lower limb ROMs using the ROM-SPORT I Battery. LBP data were taken at the end of a 1-year period through a questionnaire. Binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated. Sixty-seven percent of EA had suffered LBP. Hip adduction (OR = 1.347, medium; p = 0.015) and knee flexion (OR = 1.109, small; p = 0.023) were predictors of LBP in EAs. A hip adduction of 26° and knee flexion of 128° were found to be the optimal cutoff values for predictive screening of EAs at high risk of LBP.
Highlights
Lower back pain (LBP) is a frequent symptom in equestrian athletes (EAs) that leads to innumerable missed competitions and training days [1]
Different risk factors have been associated to low back pain (LBP) in athletes such as muscle tightness [6,7,8,9], asymmetry [7,10,11,12], and sagittal spinal and pelvis misalignments [13,14,15,16,17]
Anthropometric characters and the 11 range of motion (ROM) tests of the main movements of the lower limb
Summary
Lower back pain (LBP) is a frequent symptom in equestrian athletes (EAs) that leads to innumerable missed competitions and training days [1]. EAs have higher LBP prevalence than the general population and other athletes [2,3,4], ranging from 20% to 88% [2,3,4,5]. Muscle tightness has been quantified by the range of movement (ROM) in cohort studies of sport injuries. Previous studies have determined different ROM cutoff values identifying injured athletes. Those athletes with ROMs lower than the ROM cutoff values (limited ROM) are classified as having muscle tightness. Several studies have shown that limited hip
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