How Common Low Back Pain Is in Athletes and Its Career Impact

Thomas starts with a Dutch study of 8,000 people showing a U-shaped link between activity and back pain, with both very sedentary and highly active people at higher risk. Lifetime prevalence is around 63% in athletes against about 39% in non-athletes. Athletes also differ in risk factors, physical demands and mindset, yet the research to guide their management is thin. A 2020 systematic review found 12-month prevalence above 95% in some rowing, golf and gymnastics cohorts, sports with large spinal excursions and high force through the trunk. In Gaelic football, time-loss back injuries make up about 5% of injuries, yet 12-month prevalence in soccer and rugby cohorts reached 100% and 73%. Much athletic back pain is low grade and insidious, and athletes keep playing with it, often at a cost to performance. A survey of 750 retired British Olympians found the lumbar spine was the second most injured area, caused about a quarter of retirements and accounted for about a third of pain after retirement.