Altered Motor Control in Athletes with Low Back Pain: a Literature Review

Low back pain (LBP) is also one of the most common medical conditions in athletes. There is little doubt that patients with LBP use from their body differently than pain free individuals. The purpose of this review was to investigate changes in motor control which may be present in athletes with LBP. The search strategy for this review consisted of an electronic database search of full text in MEDLINE database. 28 studies met the eligibility criteria, most of which were cross-sectional in nature. The studies were analyzed separately according to the specific sports involved. The studies demonstrate that athletes with LBP exhibit a range of MCI in the trunk, lumbopelvic region and lower extremities. However, inconsistencies were apparent between the results. Athletes with LBP demonstrate MCI during functional and non-functional tasks, similar to non-athletes. More studies, especially large prospective studies which control for non-mechanical factors which may also differ among athletes with LBP are required to determine the relationship between LBP and MCI in athletes.