Functional deficits in athletes with a history of low back pain: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether athletes with a history of low back pain (LBP) would, on average, perform slower on a timed 20-m shuttle run as compared with a normal athletic population.


METHODS
A timed shuttle run to evaluate residual functional limitations in college athletes with resolved LBP.


METHODS
National College Athletic Association (NCAA) division I college.


METHODS
NCAA division I athletes (161 men, 50 women).


METHODS
A timed 20-m shuttle run.


METHODS
Each athlete was timed in a divided 20 m (66 ft) run in which 2 taped lines were positioned 6.7 m (22 ft) apart.


RESULTS
Of 211 athletes evaluated, 27 had been treated for LBP during the previous year. Currently asymptomatic athletes with a recent history of LBP were slower (6.3s vs 5.8s) during performance of the timed 20-m shuttle run than athletes without LBP (P=.0002).


CONCLUSIONS
Athletes with resolved LBP were slower than a matched group of normal athletes without LBP in the timed 20-m shuttle run. Further research is needed to support these findings and to understand fully the influence of the kinetic chain and the effects of both gender and sport on the observed findings.
Nadler
Scott F
SF
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. sfnadler@cs.com
Moley
Peter
P
Malanga
Gerard A
GA
Rubbani
Mariam
M
Prybicien
Michael
M
Feinberg
Joseph H
JH
D000328:Adult; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012420:Running; D013177:Sports