Background It is postulated that poor abdominal muscle endurance is linked to a higher risk of LBP. Research question(s) What is the incidence of, and relationship between, reduced postural muscle endurance, posture type and low back pain? Practical application of the finding(s) This study addresses an important area, but no clear conclusions can be made due to its methodological limitations. It appears that abdominal muscle endurance is slightly decreased in gymnasts with low back pain. Further investigation is required. Methodology Subjects: 12 male and 10 female elite gymnasts and matched controls. Experimental procedure: Both subjects and controls were assessed for 1. postural muscle endurance using a pressure biofeedback unit (PBU) while performing 4 different exercises (increasing difficulty 1-4), 2. posture-categorized subjectively by observation as lordosis, sway-back or "ideal", and 3. history of low back pain by questionnaire. Measures of outcome: Mean holding times (sec) of postural muscles, prevalence (%) of posture categories. Main Finding(s) Mean holding time was significantly reduced in all the groups as the level of exercise increased. Postural muscle endurance was non-significantly reduced (P > 0.05) in all gymnasts. The most common postures reported were sway-back (male gymnasts 100%; male controls 62.5%), lordosis (female gymnasts 80%) and normal (female controls 70%). LBP was reported in 2 female gymnasts, 2 female controls, 9 male gymnasts and 2 male controls. Postural muscle endurance tended to be lower (P > 0.05) in those subjects with low back pain and lordotic postures. Low back pain was slightly more prevalent in those subjects with a sway-back posture. Conclusion(s) There may be some evidence of a link between low back pain, posture and postural muscle endurance in gymnasts although no cause-and-effect relationships could be determined. Methodological Considerations Small sample sizes, no control for other confounding variables, no clear diagnostic criteria.
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