LUMBAR SPINE IN SENIOR AND ELITE LEVEL ROWERS – A COMPARISON WITH THE LOW BACK PAIN POPULATION

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is very prevalent in the sport of rowing. Elite rowers miss on average 24 days from training in rowing related injuries per year (Bernstein et al 2002). A wireless posture monitor (Sels Instruments, Belgium) has recently been developed, which can measure lumbar spine posture in real time. The monitor has good face validity and laboratory bench testing has established the accuracy of the monitor. The aims of this investigation were to; (1) determine the reliability of this novel method of monitoring lumbar spine posture during rowing, and (2) determine if there are differences in lumbar spine posture between rowers with/without LBP during an incremental “step-test”. These original pilot studies will inform further development of the monitor prior to final validation studies, and use of the monitor in larger studies.