Does elite swimming accelerate lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and increase low back pain? A cross-sectional comparison.
The aim was to elucidate elite swimming's possible influence on lumbar disc degeneration (DD) and low back pain (LBP).



Lumbar spine MRI was performed on a group of elite swimmers and compared to a matched Finnish population-based no-sport group.



One hundred elite swimmers and 96 no-sport adults, mean age 18.7/20.8, respectively, participated. Overall, the two groups had similar prevalence of DD. Swimmers had more DD in the upper lumbar spine but tended to have less DD at the lowest level. Prevalence of bulges and disc herniations were similar, but swimmers had significantly more bulges at L4-5. The swimmers reported less LBP, although not significantly (N.S.). If degenerative findings were present, the association between them and LBP was stronger in the no-sport group.



Elite swimmers and controls had similar prevalence of DD and LBP, although the pattern of DD differed between the groups. In case of DD, swimmers reported less LBP, although N.S.
Department of Orthopedics, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hvidovre, Denmark. steffen87@gmail.com.|Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark. steffen87@gmail.com.
Steffen
0000-0003-3775-9814
S
Folkvardsen
Department of Radiology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Erland
E
Magnussen
Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Oulu, Finland.
Jaro
J
Karppinen
Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Juha
J
Auvinen
Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark.
Rasmus Hertzum
RH
Larsen
Department of Orthopedics, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hvidovre, Denmark.
Christian
C
Wong
Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark.
Tom
T
Bendix
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013550:Swimming
Disc contour abnormalities; Disc degeneration; Low back pain; Lumbar intervertebral disc; Swimming