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Back pain in former intercollegiate rowers. A long-term follow-up study
Carol C Teitz1, John W O'Kane, Bonnie K Lind
1Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-4060, USA.
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
|July 16, 2003
Summary
Intercollegiate rowers do not have higher lifetime back pain rates than the general population. However, those experiencing back pain during college report more pain later in life.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- 32% of intercollegiate rowers experience back pain during their college careers.
- College rowers with back pain face a higher risk of persistent pain later in life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term prevalence and severity of back pain in former intercollegiate rowers.
- To compare back pain rates in former rowers to the general population.
- To identify factors influencing long-term back pain in athletes.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 1561 former intercollegiate rowing athletes.
- Data collected focused on back pain presence and severity before, during, and after college rowing.
- Participants had graduated a mean of 13 years prior to survey completion.
Main Results:
- The lifetime prevalence of back pain in former rowers (51.4%) was similar to the general population (60-80%).
- Rowers with prior college back pain reported significantly higher rates of subsequent pain (78.9%) versus asymptomatic rowers (37.9%).
- Age was a significant predictor of post-college back pain.
Conclusions:
- Intercollegiate rowers, as a group, do not exhibit higher lifetime back pain prevalence than the general population.
- A history of back pain during college significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing back pain later in life for rowers.
- Rowers who remained pain-free during college showed lower age-related back pain rates compared to the general population.