Abstract
Introduction The prevalence of lower back pain is high among sportsmen. Lower back pain is related to deficiencies in lumbar extensor strength and lack of this strength is a substantial handicap for practicing high intensity sports. Methods Lumbar strength was evaluated in 2 groups of field hockey through the MedX ® machine and a lumbar isometric endurance test. Results The results were highly homogenous between the two groups. No associations were found between the 2 tests or with player characteristics (age, body mass index, VO 2max). Peak torque and isometric endurance were higher than reference values among the sedentary population. Field hockey players characteristically had greater trunk flexion strength and lower extension strength than the general population (M/m ratio > 1.6, compared with a normal value of 1.4) probably due to the characteristic hockey position of semiflexion. Conclusion The lumbar strength test is a useful screening method to identify individuals at risk of lower back pain.
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