The Effect of Low Back Pain on Functional Stability of the Upper Limb in Gymnast Athletes

Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in gymnastic. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of low back pain on functional stability of upper limb in gymnast athletes. In this analytical cross-sectional study, 30 male gymnasts (12-14 years old) of Khorramabad were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and assigned into healthy and low back pain groups. The Y balance test of upper quarterly (YBT-UQ) was used in order to assess the functional stability of upper limb. Data analysis was also done using independent t-test by SPSS 21 software. The results showed that the functional stability of upper limb in healthy subjects was significantly more than the subjects with low back pain (p<0.05). These results also showed that the reported differences between healthy and low back pain subjects were visible in both dominant and non-dominant upper limbs. In general, it seems that the low back pain can increase the risk of future injuries by reducing the functional stability of the upper limbs in gymnast athletes; however, additional studies are needed to confirm these findings