| Abstract ID |
| 20260069 |
| Category |
| Sports Medicine: Epidemiology and Injury Prevention |
| Preferable Presentation |
| Oral Presentation |
| Title |
| LOW BACK PAIN OCCURRENCE & RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL FACTORS IN FEMALE INDIAN ROWERS |
| Author |
|
| Presenter |
| Prashu ethirajan |
| Abstract |
| Low Back Pain Occurrence & Related Musculoskeletal Factors in Female Indian Rowers Background and Aim Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent chronic musculoskeletal injury in rowing, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 80–90% in competitive rowers. Usually with a gradual onset, rowers tend to perform/train along with the pain, leading to underestimation by conventional injury surveillance methods. Rowing imposes high, repetitive mechanical demands on the lumbopelvic region, requiring efficient load sharing between the hips, pelvis, and trunk. Impairments in hip rotational mobility and functional movement quality have been proposed as clinically relevant contributors to altered lumbopelvic mechanics, causing low back pain. There is a lack of research among elite female Indian rowers in this regard. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of low back pain in elite female Indian rowers and associated musculoskeletal and functional movement screening profiles. Study Design & Methods A prospective study was conducted in 25 elite female Indian rowers (aged 16-20 years) after obtaining informed consent. Pre-season musculoskeletal (MSK) screening included bilateral passive hip internal/external rotation and lumbar flexion/extension assessment using a goniometer. Trunk stability & core strength were assessed using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) test battery. Low back pain history was recorded at baseline and monitored for 16 weeks during the season using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Health Problems Questionnaire, which captured symptom prevalence & severity. Descriptive statistical analysis was done. Results 20 rowers reported low back pain throughout the assessed period and had a mean OSTRC severity score of 63.4 ± 9.2. MSK screening revealed mean hip internal rotation of 29.1° ± 4.8°, mean hip external rotation of 36.5° ± 5.6°, mean lumbar flexion of 46.7° ± 6.2°, and mean lumbar extension of 23.4° ± 4.9°. All rowers exhibited less than acceptable (<30°) hip internal rotation range. Rowers with low back pain had reduced lumbar range of motion. Mean FMS score was 12.6 ± 1.5, with 18 rowers scoring less than an acceptable total score (<14). Lack of trunk stability and core control were the primary FMS deficits. Conclusions Low back pain constitutes a substantial and silent burden in elite female Indian rowers. Integrating pre-season musculoskeletal screening with prospective athlete-reported health monitoring provides a practical approach to better characterize symptom burden and inform targeted injury-prevention strategies in female rowing populations. Keywords: Female rowers, low back pain, Hip rotational mobility, Injury prevalence, pre-season screening |