ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2016
Tennis is not dangerous for the spine during growth: results of a cross-sectional study.
Article in 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, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Protective and risk physical activities for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review identifying one-hour daily activity threshold and Chinese school-based prevention framework.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Relationship between plantar pressure distribution and sagittal spinal curvatures among handball players: A cross-sectional study.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao · 2025Article
- Sports participation reduces the progression of idiopathic scoliosis and the need for bracing. An observational study of 511 adolescents with Risser 0-2 maturation stage.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2023Observational
- Chronic Effects of Asymmetric and Symmetric Sport Load in Varsity Athletes across a Six Month Sport Season.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Narrative review of the prevalence and distribution of acute pain in children in the self-care setting.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2022Review
- 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth.Scoliosis and spinal disorders · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTennis is widely practiced by adolescents in many countries. Many spinal deformity experts consider this activity, together with other asymmetrical sports, as risk factors for scoliosis development even though scientific data are missing. The aim of the present study was to verify the prevalence of spinal deformities and LBP in adolescent competitive tennis players compared to healthy controls.
methodsWe designed a cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of 102 adolescent tennis players (52 girls) was compared to 203 scholars (102 girls) of the same age (12 years). We used a questionnaire to collect data on LBP and we measured the ATR to screen for spinal deformities and the plumb line distances for kyphosis (C7 and C7 + L3) and lordosis (L3).
resultsWe found similar spinal deformities in both groups: ATR female: 3.2° ± 1° (tennis) versus 2.8° ± 1° (school), NS; ATR males: 2.8° ± 1° (tennis) versus 2.6° ± 1° (school), p < 0.05. No differences were found for kyphosis and lordosis. Low back pain prevalence was similar for both groups, but a significant difference was found for limitation of usual activity, which was higher for tennis players than controls.
conclusionThe correlation between tennis, an asymmetric sport, and spinal deformities that has been postulated by many experts was not confirmed by our data. There was no correlation between tennis and LBP, even if there were some differences among groups for limitations of the daily activities. Adolescent competitive tennis showed to be a safe sport without an increased risk of spinal deformities and LBP.
Indexed as
Identifiers
26920135What OpenQuestion holds
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.