This study was to investigate the incidence, prevalence, and possible risk factors for low back pain among a group of runners and walkers. A survey with 539 responses who participated in either a 10-kilometer run or 4-mile recreational walk showed previous history of low back pain in 74% of respondents. Prevalence of low back pain at the time of survey completion was 13.6%.
Low back pain was experienced more frequently by obese runners and by those who reported certain patterns of shoe wear. Regular participation in aerobics correlated with a reduced lifetime risk for low back pain. (Woolf SK. Barfield WR. Nietert PJ. Mainous AG 3rd. Glaser JA. The Cooper River Bridge Run Study of low back pain in runners and walkers. Journal of the Southern Orthopaedic Association. 11(3):136-43, 2002).
Another study evaluated whether athletes with a history of low back pain would, on average, perform slower on a timed 20-m shuttle run as compared with a normal athletic population. Of 211 athletes evaluated, 27 had been treated for low back pain during the previous year. Currently asymptomatic athletes with a recent history of low back pain were slower (6.3s vs 5.8s) during performance of the timed 20-m shuttle run than athletes without low back pain (P=.0002). (Nadler SF. Moley P. Malanga GA. Rubbani M. Prybicien M. Feinberg JH. Functional deficits in athletes with a history of low back pain: a pilot study. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 83(12):1753-8, 2002)
The same authors found significantly slower response time on the 20-meter shuttle run in college freshman athletes with a history of a lower extremity injury, as compared with freshmen without a previous injury (p = 0.01). No significant difference was noted in non-freshman collegiate athletes regardless of injury history (p = 0.98). They concluded that kinetic chain deficits may exist long after symptomatic recovery from injury resulting in functional deficits, which may be missed on a standard physical assessment. Clinical relevance of the study was that there are residual functional deficits in incoming college athletes, which may be related to inadequate care in the high school setting. (Nadler SF. Malanga GA. Feinberg JH. Rubanni M. Moley P. Foye P. Functional performance deficits in athletes with previous lower extremity injury. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 12(2):73-8, 2002 Mar).
Comments: The application of findings from these studies involve that even though injuries may have been presumed to be healed through absence of symptoms such as pain, subclinical involvement of motor components of the spinal nerve roots may still be ongoing. When pain fibers are not involved, that will be no pain symptoms. Athletes should be examined for presence of muscle stiffness and tightness presenting as limitation of joint range of motion. The most important sign of subclinical irritation of spinal nerve roots is presence of muscle tenderness at palpable myofascial bands or nodules. These points are known as trigger points. Athletes with such findings will be prone to injuries and it is essential that myofascial treatments that help heal the active trigger points be done prior to sporting activities. The most effective stimulation of deep myofascial trigger points is best achieved with such as eToims Twitch Relief Method.