Incidence, prevalence and risk factors for low back pain in adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence, prevalence, risk factors and morphological presentations of low back pain (LBP) in adolescent athletes.DesignSystematic review with meta-analysis.Data sourcesMedline, Embase, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science, Scopus.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies evaluating the incidence and/or prevalence of LBP in adolescent athletes across all sports.ResultsThere were 80 studies included. The pooled incidence estimate of LBP in adolescent athletes was 11% (95% CI 8% to 13%, I2=0%) for 2 years, 36.0% (95% CI 4% to 68%, I2=99.3%) for 12 months and 14% (95% CI 7% to 22%, I2=76%) for 6 months incidence estimates. The pooled prevalence estimate of LBP in adolescent athletes was 42% (95% CI 29% to 55%, I2=96.6%) for last 12 months, 46% (95% CI 41.0% to 52%, I2=56%) for last 3 months and 16% (95% CI 9% to 23%, I2=98.3%) for point prevalence. Potential risk factors were sport participation, sport volume/intensity, concurrent lower extremity pain, overweight/high body mass index, older adolescent age, female sex and family history of LBP. The most common morphology reported was spondylolysis. Methodological quality was deemed high in 73% of cross-sectional studies and in 30% of cohort studies. Common reasons for downgrading at quality assessment were use of non-validated survey instruments and imprecision or absence of LBP definition.Summary/conclusionLBP is common among adolescent athletes, although incidence and prevalence vary considerably due to differences in study methodology, definitions of LBP and data collection.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020157206.

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain in Africa: An Overview of Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analysis Including More Than 100 Distinct Primary Studies

“…Two corresponding authors were contacted to request information to decide if these studies checked our inclusion criteria. (Chikte et al, 2011; Wall et al, 2022) Both studies were excluded. The study selection process is reported in Figure 1 and the list of excluded studies during the analysis at full text appears in Supplementary File 2 .…”

Intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers in cricket: a systematic review

“…Comparing the significance of variables derived from studies that defined outcomes as varied as LBP in the absence of radiology [ 48 , 50 , 57 , 58 , 61 , 62 ], radiological abnormalities in the absence of LBP [ 43 , 53 – 56 , 65 ], or a combination of LBP, abnormal radiology and missed playing time [ 42 , 44 – 47 , 51 , 52 , 59 , 60 , 63 , 64 ] is problematic. Whilst the appearance of LBP has been reported to be a common finding in fast bowlers without accompanying missed playing time [ 9 ]; spondylolysis is the most common cause of LBP in young athletes [ 106 ], and LBSI should be suspected in a fast bowler presenting with LBP contralateral to their bowling arm side [ 12 ]. The significance of LBP as a surrogate for lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers is yet to be determined due to previously described attrition biases in the published literature [ 41 – 43 , 45 – 50 , 53 , 60 , 61 , 65 ], and studies being cross sectional [ 54 – 56 , 62 , 63 ], retrospective [ 57 – 61 , 64 ], or prospective with limited follow up periods [ 42 , 46 – 50 , 52 , 61 ].…”

Targeting GDF15 as a potential therapy for low back pain originating from endplate

“…Low back pain (LBP) is a serious social health and clinical problem which impact over 80% people in the world during their lifetime at some point, especially for the elderly 1-3 . However, it has shown a trend of affecting younger patients recently.…”