Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
2 PhD Candidate in Sports Injury and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3 PhD in Sports Injury and Corrective Exercises, Department of Sports Injury and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to review the scientific literature on the effect of repeated rotations on the lumbar spine in professional tennis players and to provide a comprehensive summary of previous research.
Methods: A literature review was conducted using the following databases and motor searches: Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, SID, Iranmedex, and Magiran. The search terms included “spinal curvature”, “lumbar rotation”, and “tennis”. The search was limited to studies published between 2000 and January 2024.
Results: Out of 2,500 studies initially identified, 95 abstracts were selected for review, and 12 studies were ultimately included in this research. These studies investigated the effects of repeated rotations on the lumbar spine in professional tennis players. The findings indicated that various tennis techniques increased the intensity of lumbar rotation over time, predisposing players to low back pain and other lumbar spine injuries.
Conclusion: Repeated rotations of the lumbar spine over time could lead to low back pain in professional tennis players. This was likely due to the gradual increase in flexibility of the lumbopelvic segments relative to the stiffness of the hip joint segments, resulting in excessive premature movement in the lumbopelvic region. Therefore, interventions focusing on controlled physical activity, core muscle strengthening, proprioceptive improvement, and the correction of repetitive movement patterns in tennis players might effectively reduce the incidence of low back pain.
Keywords
- Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018;8(7).
- Hopkins WG, Marshall SW, Quarrie KL, Hume PA. Risk factors and risk statistics for sports injuries. Clin J Sport Med. 2007;17(3):208-10.
- Grabara M. Comparison of posture among adolescent male volleyball players and non-athletes. Biol Sport. 2015;32(1):79-85.
- Bagherian S, Rahnama N, Ahanjan S. Comparison of thoracic and lumbar curvature of the triathlon athletes with non-athlete. Tehran; Proceedings of the 1st National Conference Triathlon. 2011. p. 4-6. [Persian].
- Bagherian Dehkordi S, Rahnama N, Mahmoudi F, editors. Investigation of curves of the spinal cord of the table tennis athletes. Tehran: 6th National Conference on Physical Education and Sports Science Students; 2011. p. 24-6. [Persian].
- Hazebroek-Kampschreur AA, Hofman A, van Dijk AP, van Linge B. Prevalence of trunk abnormalities in eleven-year-old schoolchildren in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. J Pediatr Orthop. 1992;12(4):480-4.
- Oosterhoff JHF, Gouttebarge V, Moen M, Staal JB, Kerkhoffs G, Tol JL, et al. Risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in elite junior tennis players: a systematic review. J Sports Sci. 2019;37(2):131-7.
- Kazemi S, Rahnama N, Alizadeh MH. The Mechanism, Types and Causes of the Musculoskeletal Injuries of Elite Iranian Male Tennis Players. Medicine & Science in Tennis. 2016;21(2).
- Fu MC, Ellenbecker TS, Renstrom PA, Windler GS, Dines DM. Epidemiology of injuries in tennis players. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018;11(1):1-5.
- Pluim BM, Fuller CW, Batt ME, Chase L, Hainline B, Miller S, et al. Consensus statement on epidemiological studies of medical conditions in tennis, April 2009. Br J Sports Med. 2009;43(12):893-7.
- Gescheit DT, Cormack SJ, Duffield R, Kovalchik S, Wood TO, Omizzolo M, et al. A multi-year injury epidemiology analysis of an elite national junior tennis program. J Sci Med Sport. 2019;22(1):11-5.
- Seidi F, Rajabi R, Ebrahimi T, Tavanai A, Moussavi S. The validity and reliability of Iranian flexible ruler in lumbar lordosis measurements. World J Sport Sci. 2009;2(2):95-9.
- He Y, Liang M, Fang Y, Fekete G, Baker JS, Gu Y. Lumbar and pelvis movement comparison between cross-court and long-line topspin forehand in table tennis: based on musculoskeletal model. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023;11:1185177.
- Campbell A, Straker L, O’Sullivan P, Elliott B, Reid M. Lumbar loading in the elite adolescent tennis serve: link to low back pain. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013;45(8):1562-8.
- Connolly M, Middleton K, Spence G, Cant O, Reid M. Effects of Lumbar Spine Abnormality and Serve Types on Lumbar Kinematics in Elite Adolescent Tennis Players. Sports Med Open. 2021;7(1):7.
- Vad VB, Gebeh A, Dines D, Altchek D, Norris B. Hip and shoulder internal rotation range of motion deficits in professional tennis players. J Sci Med Sport. 2003;6(1):71-5.
- Kawasaki S, Imai S, Inaoka H, Masuda T, Ishida A, Okawa A, et al. The lower lumbar spine moment and the axial rotational motion of a body during one-handed and double-handed backhand stroke in tennis. Int J Sports Med. 2005;26(8):617-21.
- Alyas F, Turner M, Connell D. MRI findings in the lumbar spines of asymptomatic, adolescent, elite tennis players. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(11):836-41; discussion 41.
- Campbell A, Straker L, Whiteside D, O’Sullivan P, Elliott B, Reid M. Lumbar Mechanics in Tennis Groundstrokes: Differences in Elite Adolescent Players With and Without Low Back Pain. J Appl Biomech. 2016;32(1):32-9.
- Moreno-Perez V, Lopez-Valenciano A, Ayala F, Fernandez-Fernandez J, Vera-Garcia FJ. Comparison of hip extension and rotation ranges of motion in young elite tennis players with and without history of low back pain. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2019;32(4):629-38.
- Ellenbecker TS, Ellenbecker GA, Roetert EP, Silva RT, Keuter G, Sperling F. Descriptive profile of hip rotation range of motion in elite tennis players and professional baseball pitchers. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(8):1371-6.
- Johansson F, Gabbett T, Svedmark P, Skillgate E. External Training Load and the Association With Back Pain in Competitive Adolescent Tennis Players: Results From the SMASH Cohort Study. Sports Health. 2022;14(1):111-8.
- Bankosz Z, Barczyk-Pawelec K. Habitual and ready positions in female table tennis players and their relation to the prevalence of back pain. PeerJ. 2020;8:e9170.
- Grosdent S, Colman D, Demoulin C, Kaux J-F, Roussel N, Vanderthommen M. Lumbopelvic motor control in elite tennis players with and without a history of low back pain. Science & Sports. 2023;38(8):836-44.
- Martin C, Bideau B, Nicolas G, Delamarche P, Kulpa R. How does the tennis serve technique influence the serve-and-volley? J Sports Sci. 2012;30(11):1149-56.
- Chung KC, Lark ME. Upper Extremity Injuries in Tennis Players: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management. Hand Clin. 2017;33(1):175-86.
- Kuhne CA, Zettl RP, Nast-Kolb D. [Injuries- and frequency of complaints in competitive tennis- and leisure sports]. Sportverletz Sportschaden. 2004;18(2):85-9.
- Scholtes SA, Gombatto SP, Van Dillen LR. Differences in lumbopelvic motion between people with and people without low back pain during two lower limb movement tests. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2009;24(1):7-12.
- Van Dillen LR, Gombatto SP, Collins DR, Engsberg JR, Sahrmann SA. Symmetry of timing of hip and lumbopelvic rotation motion in 2 different subgroups of people with low back pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007;88(3):351-60.
- O’Sullivan P. Diagnosis and classification of chronic low back pain disorders: maladaptive movement and motor control impairments as underlying mechanism. Man Ther. 2005;10(4):242-55.
- Dines JS, Bedi A, Williams PN, Dodson CC, Ellenbecker TS, Altchek DW, et al. Tennis injuries: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(3):181-9.
- Nijs J, Van Houdenhove B. From acute musculoskeletal pain to chronic widespread pain and fibromyalgia: application of pain neurophysiology in manual therapy practice. Man Ther. 2009;14(1):3-12.
- Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, Chou R, Cohen SP, Gross DP, et al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2368-83.
- Yarahmadi Y, Hadadnezhad M. The effect of core stabilization on pain control, Dynamic balance and lumbopelvic proprioception of subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain. 2017.
- Asadi SY, Letafatkar A, Shojaedin S, Abbasi A, Eftekhari F. Comparative effect of motor control and water exercise on proprioception, sensory acuity, and pain in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain. Sci J Rehabil Med. 2018;7(1):170-82.
- Hlaing SS, Puntumetakul R, Khine EE, Boucaut R. Effects of core stabilization exercise and strengthening exercise on proprioception, balance, muscle thickness and pain related outcomes in patients with subacute nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):998.