ArticleSports medicine - open2020
Lumbar spine abnormalities and facet joint angles in asymptomatic elite junior tennis players.
Article in Sports medicine - open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and Incidence of Isthmic Spondylolisthesis in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026Review
- Lumbar Superior Articular Process-Pedicle Impingement, a Previously Unrecognized Pathological Cause of Low Back Pain: A Case Report.NMC case report journal · 2026Article
- Adolescent lumbar disc herniation: etiology, diagnosis, and treatment options.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Review
- Impact of asymmetric L4-L5 facet joint degeneration on lumbar spine biomechanics using a finite element approach.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Abnormal L5-S1 Facet Joint Orientation as a Harbinger of Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: A Case Report.Cureus · 2023Article
- 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
- Lumbar and pelvis movement comparison between cross-court and long-line topspin forehand in table tennis: based on musculoskeletal model.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Article
- Preoperative facet joint arthropathy does not impact long-term clinical outcomes after lumbar-stability-preserving decompression and dynesys fixation.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Investigating the mechanical effect of the sagittal angle of the cervical facet joint on the cervical intervertebral disc.Digital healthArticle
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLumbar spine abnormalities, in particular stress fractures to the pars interarticularis, are common in elite junior tennis players, though the difference in prevalence between males and females remains unclear. Further, facet joint orientation appears to be a possible option for recognizing which players might go on to present with a pars stress fracture. Given the link between pars stress fractures and low back pain in tennis players, it appears logical to explore the link between facet joint angle and pars abnormalities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of lumbar spine abnormalities and explore the relationship between facet joint orientation and pars abnormalities in elite adolescent tennis players. METHODOLOGY: Lumbar spine MRI images of 25 elite junior tennis players were obtained and distributed between five radiologists for analysis. Descriptive comparisons and confidence intervals were used to describe the prevalence of the abnormalities. A generalized linear regression model was conducted to investigate the relationship between lumbar pars abnormalities and lumbar facet joint angles.
resultsSixteen (64%) of 25 players were found to have at least one lumbar spine abnormality. Pars abnormalities affected 36% of players while bone marrow edema was found in 24% of players. Disc herniation, disc degeneration, and facet joint degeneration were diagnosed in 20%, 44%, and 24% of players respectively. Lastly, one player (4%) was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. Females had significantly larger facet joint angles across L3/4 L5/S1 compared to males (p < 0.01). Further, those who had pars abnormalities had larger facet joint angles compared to those who did not (p < 0.001).
conclusionDisc degeneration, pars abnormalities, including bone marrow edema, and facet joint degeneration were common findings among elite adolescent tennis players. Additionally, this study is the first to discover that pars abnormalities are linked to facet joint angle in elite adolescent tennis players. This finding might assist in identifying tennis players at a greater risk of developing lumbar spine pars abnormalities in the future.
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