Lumbar Spine Injuries Among High-School And College-Aged Competitive Swimmers Associated With Various Training Methods And Stroke Specialties

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spine injuries are the second most prevalent overuse injury among competitive swimmers, yet effective prevention strategies for this population remain largely unexplored. PURPOSE: This purpose of this study to investigate the impact of various training methods and swimmer characteristics on the risk of lumbar spine injury in competitive swimmers. METHODS: A retrospective epidemiologic survey was conducted on 285 swimmers (mean age: 18.71 ± 3.12 years). Participants provided information on demographics, stroke specialties, training methods, years of experience, competition level, hypermobility, and injury history. Logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), assessing the association between various risk factors and lumbar spine injury while adjusting for demographic variables. RESULTS: Out of 285 swimmers, 29 (10.18%) reported experiencing a lumbar spine injury. The most common diagnoses identified included spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis, lumbar strain, bulging or herniated discs, and facet joint pain. A logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, and years of training revealed that increased pool training hours (OR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.21-4.38) and hypermobility (OR: 4.16, 95% CI: 1.17-14.72) were significant risk factors for lumbar spine injury. On the other hand, increased kickboard usage was associated with a lower risk of lumbar spine injury (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies the key factors that significantly raise the likelihood of lumbar spine injuries in competitive swimmers, specifically, increased pool training hours and hypermobility. Interestingly, the use of a kickboard during training emerged as a potential protective factor, lowering the risk of lumbar spine injury. These results suggest that coaches, trainers, and physicians may consider modifying training volume and developing strategies to manage hypermobility, such as addressing biomechanical imbalances, to mitigate the risk of these injuries. Future research may explore modifications to training regimens and optimization of dryland routines that may aid in the development of more effective injury prevention strategies for swimmers.