• Yutaka Yabe, Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Takuya Sekiguchi, Haruki Momma, Masahiro Tsuchiya, Kenji Kanazawa, Shinichirou Yoshida, Yasuhito Sogi, Takahiro Onoki, Kazuaki Suzuki, Tadahisa Takahashi, Eiji Itoi, and Ryoichi Nagatomi.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan.
• Spine. 2021 Sep 1; 46 (17): 115411591154-1159.

Study DesignA cross-sectional study.ObjectiveThe purpose of this large cohort study was to assess the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among young players participating in several types of sports.Summary Of Background DataLBP is a significant problem among young sports players. Sport discipline among young players is thought to be associated with LBP. However, similar previous studies did not specifically analyze LBP by age and sex.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with young sports players (ages 6-15 years, n = 7277) using a self-reported questionnaire. The prevalence of LBP was assessed using the variables of age, sex, and sport discipline.ResultsThe point prevalence of LBP among young sports players was 5.0%. The participants between 6 and 8 years' old had the lowest prevalence of LBP (0.4%-1.3%), which increased with aging and reached the highest proportion of 13.5% to 14.8% at 13 to 14 years. Furthermore, female players had significantly higher proportions of LBP than male players (8.1% vs. 3.7%). Regarding sport discipline, the prevalence of LBP was higher in basketball, handball, and volleyball.ConclusionThe prevalence of LBP among young sports players was different for age, sex, and sport discipline. Further studies are needed to clarify the association of sport-specific movements to LBP in each sport discipline. This may assist in developing programs or strategies for preventing LBP among young sports players.Level of Evidence: 3.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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