High Prevalence of Low Back Pain in College Rifle Athletes

The sport of rifle places unique physical demands on its athletes relative to other collegiate sports, including maintaining lumbar-straining positions for extended time. Anecdotal reports of low back pain (LBP) are common among collegiate rifle athletes, but the prevalence of LBP in this population has not yet been established in the literature.

The purpose of this study was to survey collegiate rifle athletes to quantify the prevalence and impact of low back pain in this population and identify possible contributing factors including the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that over 50% of athletes would report an episode of LBP due to participation in collegiate rifle events.

Cross-Sectional Study.

Athletes at least 18 years of age who were members of a collegiate rifle program during the 2019-2020 season were surveyed via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included four sections: (a) demographics, (b) presence of LBP, (c) the impact of pain episodes on daily activities, and (d) shooting stance and training characteristics.

Responses from 114 athletes were collected. A total of 101 (89%) respondents indicated having experienced at least one episode of LBP. Of those, 24% also missed at least one day of training or competition during the 2019-2020 season because of LBP. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 60% were unable to receive the same level of medical care while 69% experienced equal or greater pain levels. An association between sex and LBP was statistically significant (p<0.001).

There is a high prevalence of LBP in collegiate rifle athletes. It is necessary for Athletic Training staff and other medical professionals to be aware of this for prevention and treatment, as it has significant impacts including missed playing time. More research on predisposing factors such as sex and training duration or positional characteristics would benefit management of this injury.

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