Altered Motor Control in Athletes with Low Back Pain: a Literature Review

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is also one of the most common medical conditions in athletes. There is little doubt that patients with LBP use from their body differently than pain free individuals. The purpose of this review was to investigate changes in motor control which may be present in athletes with LBP. The search strategy for this review consisted of an electronic database search of full text in MEDLINE database. 28 studies met the eligibility criteria, most of which were cross-sectional in nature. The studies were analyzed separately according to the specific sports involved. The studies demonstrate that athletes with LBP exhibit a range of MCI in the trunk, lumbopelvic region and lower extremities. However, inconsistencies were apparent between the results. Athletes with LBP demonstrate MCI during functional and non-functional tasks, similar to non-athletes. More studies, especially large prospective studies which control for non-mechanical factors which may also differ among athletes with LBP are required to determine the relationship between LBP and MCI in athletes.

A Comparison of the Hamstring to Quadriceps Activation Ratio in the Toe-in or Neutral Toe Position After Triple Jump Spikes in Female Volleyball Players

“…Second, the laboratory conditions were different from the actual training conditions, which could have reduced the generalizability of the data. Third, since previous studies have shown that the mechanics of jump-landing differ in women from men (5,6), it seems that the findings cannot be generalized to male athletes; therefore, similar research is recommended to be carried out in men.…”

“…Injuries to the lower limbs have been reported in jumplanding (5), and since these injuries reduce players' performance even after improvement (6), researchers are seeking the best techniques to minimize the risk of injury (7). Due to its need for frequent jumping, landing and sudden change of direction, volleyball is among the sports in which ACL injury has become increasingly common in the last decade, especially among women (8).…”

The Effect of Through-Range Versus Shortened-Length Exercise Training on Upper Quarter Posture Among Students With Forward Head Posture: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Further studies are required on other peoples with FHP or other postural changes, to clarify this problem more. Since movement mechanics differ between individuals with and without pain, the findings may not be generalizable to subjects who had FHP with neck pain or cervicogenic headache [38][39][40]. The study was limited to the eight weeks without follow up, so additional work with longer follow up better identifies the effect of training on the postural alignment.…”

Ultrasonographic Comparison of Deep Lumbopelvic Muscles Activity in Plank Movements on Stable and Unstable Surface

“…This area has a particular importance in sports because it provides proximal stability for distal mobility [2]. Stability and the control of movement of the body core may improve one's performance and prevent further sports injuries [3]. The core muscles of body are divided into two main classes; the first class consists of the global muscles that are large and placed superficially and generate gross trunk movements.…”