Low back pain and associated factors among italian equestrian athletes: a cross-sectional study

Background. Low back pain (LBP) is a widespread condition in sport; it can lead to high treatment costs, dropping out of training and competition, decreased quality of life, and limitations to performance. Moreover, a large number of sport athletes suffer from chronic low back pain (CLBP). Among equestrian athletes low back pain is accepted as a symptom immanent to the sport. Methods. The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted using an online cloud-based software among competitive Athletes members of the Italian Equestrian Sport Federation older than 18 years old (n = 40932). Results. 886 athletes participated in the survey: 21.90% were male and 78.10% were female. LBP had a prevalence of 91.6% and 74.2% for life-time and 1-year respectively, while CLBP had a prevalence of 23.9%. Prevalence of LBP is 61% in Show-jumping, 13.6% in Dressage, 6.3% in Eventing, 2.9% in Horse Country Riding and 2.2% in Reining. Weight has a positive association with LBP (O.R. 1.05 95% CI = [1.02, 1.09] p < 0.05), while age has a negative association (O.R. 0.95 95% CI = [0.94, 0.98] p < 0.05). Practicing activity more than 5-6 hours a week has a positive association with CLBP (O.R. 1.21 95% CI = [1.05, 1.4] p < 0.05). CLBP is associated with interrupted activity (p < 0.001), drugs consumption (p < 0.001) and restriction in participation (p < 0.001). Conclusions. LBP and CLBP are very common conditions in equestrian athletes and their prevalence is higher compared to general population. LBP is more frequent in show-jumping compared to other disciplines. Age and weight are associated with lifetime LBP, with, respectively, a negative and positive association. Athletes with CLBP showed more disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) and tendency to suspend sports more frequently.