Incidence of Low Back Injuries Among Iranian Athletes in 12 Disciplines of Olympic Sports

The present research aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence rate of low back pain and injury in 12 Olympic sports athletes presenting to the injury surveillance system of the Sports Medicine Federation of Iran.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of athletes from the injury surveillance system of the Sports Medicine Federation of Iran, for three years. Descriptive statistic was used for the study. 

The incidence rate of 6.7 injuries per 10000 athletes registered was calculated for low back complaints in 12 sports disciplines. Weightlifting, wushu, and judo had the highest, and gymnastic and soccer had the lowest low back injuries incidence. More than one-third of the low back complaints involved the lumbar spine. Also, females were at higher risk of low back pain and injury than males. Of age categories, adults and elderlies had the highest prevalence of low back complaints with more involvement in the lumbar spine. 

According to the results, wushu, judo, and especially weightlifting should be the priority of prevention. Furthermore, females and elderlies require more focus on preventive measures.