Affiliations: [a] Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich, Switzerland | [b] Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland | [c] Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Brigitte Wirth, Interdisciplinary Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, University Hospital Balgrist, Forchstr. 340, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 44 386 57 03; E-mail: brigitte.wirth@balgrist.ch.
Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the results of studies on quantifiable physical risk factors (beyond questionnaires) for adolescent low back pain (LBP). METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in Medline (OvidSP), Premedline (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, PEDro and PsycINFO. Cross-sectional, prospective and retrospective English language studies on LBP in adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were included. Results: Twenty-two mostly cross-sectional studies were included. Trunk muscle endurance in particular seemed to be associated with adolescent LBP, while a possible association of trunk muscle strength and spinal flexibility was less clear. CONCLUSION: There is a need for prospective studies on quantifiable physical risk factors for adolescent LBP. Such studies should focus on back and abdominal muscle endurance, possibly in combination with sagittal spinal mobility, sagittal postural alignment and neurodynamics as possible modifiable risk factors for LBP.
Keywords: Adolescent, low back pain, physical, risk factor, systematic review
