SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2016
Can Exercise Positively Influence the Intervertebral Disc?
Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Exercise on Intervertebral Disc Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and incidence of low back pain among runners: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2020Pooled it
- Assessment of the ergonomic risk from saddle and conventional seats in dentistry: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Prevalence of Back Pain in Sports: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Running is associated with intervertebral disc adaptations: a pre-planned secondary analysis of the ASTEROID randomised controlled trial.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Trial
- Exercise for the intervertebral disc: a 6-month randomised controlled trial in chronic low back pain.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2020Trial
- Optimising conservative management of chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.Trials · 2017Trial
- Review
- The Impact of Modern Lifestyles on Spinal Health in the Pediatric Population: A Narrative Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Unraveling the causal landscape of intervertebral disc degeneration: A Mendelian randomization analysis of 108 traits.Medicine · 2025Article
- Functional Movement Screen Scores Are Comparable in Volleyball Players with and Without Back Pain-The FMS-VBP Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Chronic low back pain and exercise: a molecular perspective on aerobic and anaerobic core training.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- Running Acceleration Correlates With T2 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Values of the Lumber Intervertebral Disc.Translational sports medicine · 2025Article
- Differences in the aging of the spine according to physical activity levels in older women.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- The impact of Tai Chi's "Xuling Dingjin" posture on lumbar biomechanics during stair descent.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Quantitative observation based on magnetic resonance imaging: the effects of marathon running on lumbar vertebrae, paraspinal muscles, and lumbar disc components.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Article
- The muscle-intervertebral disc interaction mediated by L-BAIBA modulates extracellular matrix homeostasis and PANoptosis in nucleus pulposus cells.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2024Article
- The pathogenesis and targeted therapies of intervertebral disc degeneration induced by cartilage endplate inflammation.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Review
- Roles of organokines in intervertebral disc homeostasis and degeneration.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To better understand what kinds of sports and exercise could be beneficial for the intervertebral disc (IVD), we performed a review to synthesise the literature on IVD adaptation with loading and exercise. The state of the literature did not permit a systematic review; therefore, we performed a narrative review. The majority of the available data come from cell or whole-disc loading models and animal exercise models. However, some studies have examined the impact of specific sports on IVD degeneration in humans and acute exercise on disc size. Based on the data available in the literature, loading types that are likely beneficial to the IVD are dynamic, axial, at slow to moderate movement speeds, and of a magnitude experienced in walking and jogging. Static loading, torsional loading, flexion with compression, rapid loading, high-impact loading and explosive tasks are likely detrimental for the IVD. Reduced physical activity and disuse appear to be detrimental for the IVD. We also consider the impact of genetics and the likelihood of a 'critical period' for the effect of exercise in IVD development. The current review summarises the literature to increase awareness amongst exercise, rehabilitation and ergonomic professionals regarding IVD health and provides recommendations on future directions in research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.