Coexistence of Trunk or Lower Extremity Pain with Elbow and/or Shoulder Pain among Young Overhead Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Elbow or shoulder injuries are common in overhead sports. Because energy derived from the lower extremity passes through the trunk to the upper extremity in overhead motion, a break in such a kinetic chain could lead to arm injuries. However, there is only limited information about the role of the trunk and lower extremity support in preventing elbow or shoulder injuries. This study aimed to explore the association of trunk and lower extremity pain with elbow/shoulder pain among young overhead athletes. We conducted a cross-sectional study using self-reported questionnaires mailed to young athletes belonging to the Miyagi Amateur Sports Association. The final study population comprised 2,215 young athletes playing baseball (n = 1,422), volleyball (n = 546), softball (n = 14), handball (n = 28), tennis (n = 110), or badminton (n = 95). The median age of the participants was 11 years (range: 6 to 15 years). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the higher prevalence of elbow and/or shoulder pain in athletes with back pain (OR = 5.52, 95% CI = 3.51-8.69), hip pain (OR = 6.13, 95% CI = 3.35-11.22), knee pain (OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.48-3.51), and foot pain (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.95-4.72), compared with those without pain. We propose that trunk or lower extremity pain is significantly associated with elbow or shoulder pain among young overhead athletes. Assessing for pain in trunk or lower extremity, as well as elbow and/or shoulder pain, may help prevent serious injuries in young overhead athletes.

Preseason Clinical Shoulder Test Results and Shoulder Injury Rate in Adolescent Elite Handball Players: A Prospective Study

“…Many previous studies on handball have not described the incidence rate of shoulder injuries in relation to the exposure, e.g. per 1,000 hours, but instead reported the number of shoulder injuries and the proportion of the total number of injuries or the prevalence of shoulder pain (40,44,48,65,67,68,70,74,85,94,(96)(97)(98)(99)(100). A summary of shoulder injuries and problems in handball is presented in Table 3.…”

Tuck Jump Assessment as an Indicator for Upper Extremity Injury

“…We did not specify the degree of injury or whether it was the onset was acute or chronic for those in our injured group. Because a link between baseball players exhibiting throwing shoulder and elbow pain with knee and low back pain exists, clinicians should consider examining the trunk and lower extremities in those throwing athletes with an upper extremity injury 17 . However, based on the current findings, further examination into the TJA is warranted.…”

“…Additionally, when examining professional baseball pitchers, it was concluded that poor LPHC control was associated with missing significant time due to injury 2 . Subsequently, it was reported that there is a significant association between low back and knee pain with elbow and shoulder pain among youth baseball players 17 . Because of the relationship between weak LPHC and injury 2 17 , clinicians should consider a dynamic assessment that includes kinetic chain efficiency between the lower extremity and LPHC.…”

Upper Extremity Pain Is Associated with Lower Back Pain among Young Basketball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The following potential confounding factors were assessed using self-reported questionnaires and were included in this analysis as covariates: sex, age, body mass index (BMI, calculated using self-reported height and weight values), team levels (recreation, local competition, prefectural competition, distinct competition, or national competition), number of days of training per week, number of hours of practice per day on weekdays and weekends, frequency of participation in games (never, seldom, sometimes, or often), and practice intensity (not hard or hard) (Sekiguchi et al 2017). The following continuous variables were divided into different categories according to the number distribution: number of days of training per week (≤ 4 and > 4 days); number of hours of practice per day on weekdays (≤ 2 and > 2 hrs); and number of hours of practice per day on weekends (≤ 3 and > 3 hrs).…”