High Injury Prevalence in South African Adolescent Field Hockey Players: Implications for Future Practice

Abstract

Abstract Background: Field hockey is a popular sport, globally. Due to the nature of hockey, players repeatedly perform a combination of forward flexion and rotational movements of the spine to strike the ball, predisposing them to pain/injury. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of Low Back Pain (LBP) in male adolescent field hockey players, its characteristics and association with selected risk factors, and treatment approaches. Methods: A survey was conducted on 112 male adolescent field hockey players in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sixty-eight questionnaires were completed (67% participation rate); period prevalence of LBP was 63.2% (35.0%: beginning of the season, 32.4%: mid-season, 22.1%: end-season); incidence was 38.2%. Results: The most common location for LBP was the middle low back region (39.5%); the most common duration of pain was a few hours (32.6%). Most participants (79.1%) did not classify their pain as a disability; only 44.2% of participants received medical treatment. Conclusions: The results of this study, although limited to a select group of adolescents, showed a higher prevalence of LBP than previous studies. More importantly, even though most participants did not experience LBP classified as a disability, LBP still had a large impact on participants, as nearly half of the participants consulted with a medical professional. A need for the application of further strategies in the prevention and management of LBP in field hockey such as adequate warm-up and cool-down, stretching exercises and rest between sessions are recommended as simple strategies to reduce LBP prevalence.