Perturbation‐based exercise for prevention of low‐back pain in adolescent athletes
Adamantios Arampatzis, Gunnar Laube, Arno Schroll, Johannes Frank, Sebastian Böhm, Falk Mersmann
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a perturbation-based exercise intervention on the prevention of chronic non-specific low-back pain in adolescent athletes over 1 year. In a 2-year prospective research design, thirty-seven adolescent athletes (13-18 years) were recruited. In the first year (control), the athletes performed their usual training program, while in the second year (intervention), a perturbation-based trunk exercise intervention was implemented (two times per week for 25 minutes). Low-back pain incidence, trunk muscle strength, lumbo-pelvic alignment, and kinematics were measured four times per year. The 3 months prevalence of low-back pain reduced by 49% in the intervention compared to the control year. Further, low-back pain intensity decreased (P = .019, d = 0.524) and muscle strength of the trunk extensors (P = .040, d = 0.585) and trunk flexors (P = .002, d = 0.515) increased in the intervention year. Finally, a reduction (P < .001, d = 1.401) of strength imbalances between the flexor and extensor muscles was observed. Lumbo-pelvic alignment and kinematics during forward bending did not alter (P > .05) due to the intervention. The findings evidence beneficial effects of a perturbation-based exercise intervention on the prevention of low-back pain. This underlines the need for the implementation of specific interventions of trunk muscles in the training process.