BACK PAIN IN ATHLETES

Back pain in athletes, fortunately, is not a common occurrence. Conditioning has been found to be an important factor in the incidence of low back pain in the general population. As a rule, the better the physical condition of an individual, the less likely they are to have back pain.

Most athletes are in general, healthy individuals and usually in better condition than the average citizen. If one does a few simple things, he or she can avoid back injuries and prevention of this problem always out weighs the need for treatment.

The spine is made up of a series of motion segments with each motion segment consisting of two vertebrae, an intervening disc and two facet joints. Motion occurs at each segmental level through the discs and facet joints. Unless damaged in some manner, motion at the disc or facet joint is painless.

In addition to these structures, there are also ligaments connecting the segments with a strong ligament surrounding the disc referred to as the annulus.

Finally, there are both large and small muscles which control movement of the vertebrae. These muscles are important structures and can be strengthened by appropriate exercises which are the essence of conservative treatment of a mechanical spinal disorder. Before we get to treatment, let’s say more on prevention.

Adequate rest is important to both the disc and to muscel tissue. During the night the disc re-hydrates and measurably increases in height. Muscles tend to return to their resting lenght.

Proper warm up and stretching exercises will prevent many back injuries resulting from over exertion. Following inactivity, muscles have a tendency to contract. When activity is initiated, the resting blood supply is inadequate to meet the metabolic needs of muscles when they are functioning at full capacity. Proper warm up allow dilatation of the blood vessels and the increased blood supply increases both aerobic and anaerobic capacity of the muscle with improved performance. Stretching exercises allow the muscles to reach their maximum lenght, making them less likely to tear and thus injury is less likely to occur.

Although athletes obtain sufficient exercise, some sports are muscle group specific and many of the muscles are not used often enough to develop sufficient strenght and endurance. Lack of strenght allows excessive forces to be applied which may result in injury. Lack of endurance leads to fatigue which again, may result in muscle injury.

Athletic trainers play an important role in injury prevention by providing modern athletes with programs which allow improved performance as well as prevention of injury.

When back injuries do occur, fortunately most will heal on their own in a short period of time. If pain persists more than a week, however, you should obtain professional advice to be sure that the injury is not more significant such as a disc injury, or perhaps an underlying condition such as spondylolisthesis, a developmental defect in the spine which may require activity modification.

Most injuries in athletics do not require surgery, but in the few that do, it is necessary to make an accurate early diagnosis and address the problem. Sports activity may be curtailed temporarily or permanently in some cases, but fortunately this is the exception rather than the rule. If you have sufficient time for healing and an adequate rehabilitative program, return to play can be expected.

In summary, back injuries in athletics are preventable and most injuries will heal with sufficient time and rest. Return to sports activity requires determination and self motivation on the part of the participant, which of course, are the basic requirements for success in any sports endeavor.

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