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Back pain in the young athlete.
Greg Sassmannshausen1, Brian G Smith
1Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
Clinics in Sports Medicine
|March 7, 2002
Summary
Pediatric athletes rarely experience back pain, but accurate diagnosis is crucial. Common causes include injury to the pars interarticularis, requiring prompt evaluation and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Pediatric Sports Medicine
Background:
- Back pain is uncommon in pediatric athletes compared to adults.
- Specific etiologies and treatments exist for pediatric athlete back pain.
- Injury to the pars interarticularis accounts for nearly 50% of cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the importance of accurate diagnosis for pediatric athlete back pain.
- To outline the diagnostic approach for pediatric back pain.
- To highlight common causes and their management.
Main Methods:
- Thorough patient history taking.
- Careful physical examination to guide differential diagnosis.
- Targeted laboratory and imaging work-up.
Main Results:
- Nearly 50% of pediatric athlete back pain cases involve pars interarticularis injury.
- A systematic approach leads to timely diagnosis.
- Specific treatments are available for identified etiologies.
Conclusions:
- Accurate diagnosis of pediatric athlete back pain is essential due to specific causes.
- Clinical evaluation should guide further diagnostic testing.
- Prompt diagnosis facilitates appropriate treatment and management.