Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of low back pain (LBP) in young female and male basketball and floorball players.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Nine basketball teams and 9 floorball teams from Tampere city district, Finland.
Participants: Four hundred one young female and male players (mean age: 15.8 ± 1.9 years).
Assessment of risk factors: Age, gender, sport, and family history of musculoskeletal disorders were assessed as risk factors for LBP. Adjustment was made on team level to avoid random effects associated with a team.
Main outcome measures: Information of players' background factors and LBP episodes was collected by a structured questionnaire.
Results: Forty-four percentage of the basketball players and 62% of floorball players had suffered from LBP during the previous 12 months. Prevalence of LBP during the previous year was significantly higher among floorball players (P = 0.001). In both sports, prevalence of pain symptoms was the highest during the competitive playing season. Family history of musculoskeletal disorders [OR (odds ratio), 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.22-3.34] and higher age (OR, 1.22, 95% CI, 1.05-1.41) were associated with LBP in players.
Conclusions: The study attested that LBP is a relatively common complaint in young team sport players. Targeted measures to examine causes, risk factors, and prevention of LBP in youth sports are needed.