Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40832556›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in sports and active living2025

Physical and psychological differences between athletes with and without chronic primary low back pain: a scoping review.

Clément Prunault, Guillaume Vadez, Martin Descarreaux, Jacques Abboud

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Clément PrunaultDepartment of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Guillaume VadezResearch Group on Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders (GRAN), Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Martin DescarreauxResearch Group on Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders (GRAN), Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Jacques AbboudResearch Group on Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders (GRAN), Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Low back pain among athletes varies by sport, age, and sex, affecting performance and contributing to sports retirement. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on chronic primary low back pain (CPLBP) in athletes. The aim of this scoping review is to examine the existing literature on CPLBP, focusing on the physical and psychological differences between athletes with and without CPLBP. Design and Methods: A systematic search across MEDLINE, CINAHL, SportDiscus, and PsycINFO, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines (PRISMA), identified 11 relevant studies. Three key concepts guided the search: "chronic low back pain", "physical and psychological characteristics", and "athletes". Results: From 1,767 screened articles, 11 studies involving 717 athletes (301 with CPLBP and 416 without) met the inclusion criteria. Most studies showed that athletes with CPLBP had significantly lower trunk muscle activation amplitudes and delayed onset. One study found that athletes with CPLBP had significantly reduced trunk extension strength. Kinematic evaluations showed a significant increase in trunk damping and lumbar extension in athletes with CPLBP compared to athletes without CPLBP. However, other studies reported no significant differences in trunk muscle activity, kinetic and kinematic variables. Finally, athletes with CPLBP reported significantly higher kinesiophobia, anxiety and pain catastrophizing scores. Conclusions: This review shows significant physiological and psychological differences between athletes with and without CPLBP. Future research should focus on sport-specific assessments of CPLBP and its impact on performance.

Indexed as

athleteschronic low back painelectromyograhy (EMG)kinematickineticpsychology

Identifiers

PMID40832556
PMCPMC12360265

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.