Understanding and preventing noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: a review of the Hunt Valley II meeting, January 2005.

The incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in young to middle-aged athletes remains high. Despite early diagnosis and appropriate operative and nonoperative treatments, posttraumatic degenerative arthritis may develop. In a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (January 2005), sponsored by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, a group of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, biomechanists, epidemiologists, and other scientists interested in this area of research met to review current knowledge on risk factors associated with noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries, anterior cruciate ligament injury biomechanics, and existing anterior cruciate ligament prevention programs. This article reports on the presentations, discussions, and recommendations of this group.

Back pain in former intercollegiate rowers. A long-term follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that 32% of intercollegiate rowers develop back pain during their college career. HYPOTHESIS: Rowers who develop back pain in college are more likely than the general population to have back pain later in life. STUDY DESIGN: Survey. METHODS: Surveys from 1561 former intercollegiate rowing athletes were analyzed. Subjects who completed the surveys had graduated from college at a mean and median of 13 years previously, with a range of 0 to 20 years between graduation and completion of the survey. The survey was designed to determine the presence of back pain and its severity before, during, and after intercollegiate rowing. Back pain was defined as pain that lasted at least 1 week. RESULTS: Age was a significant predictor of back pain after college. Nevertheless, the lifetime prevalence of back pain in former intercollegiate rowers was no different from that of the general population (51.4% versus 60% to 80%). However, rowers who developed back pain in college had more subsequent back pain than rowers who were asymptomatic in college (78.9% versus 37.9%). Rowers who were asymptomatic in college had significantly lower rates of back pain as they aged than did the general population. The mean severity of current back pain was 3.5 +/- 1.9 on a scale of 1 to 10. CONCLUSIONS: Intercollegiate rowers are no more likely than the general population to have back pain later in life.

Effect of preexisting back pain on the incidence and severity of back pain in intercollegiate rowers.

BACKGROUND: Back pain is a common problem among rowers. PURPOSE: To determine whether preexisting back pain is a significant risk factor for back pain in intercollegiate rowers and how it relates to the ability of athletes to participate in college rowing. STUDY DESIGN: Survey. METHODS: Surveys from 1829 former intercollegiate rowing athletes were analyzed. The surveys included questions concerning back pain before the subjects' college career, back pain during intercollegiate rowing, missed practices, the duration of time lost from college rowing because of back pain, and career-ending back pain. Back pain was defined as pain lasting longer than 1 week. RESULTS: More subjects with preexisting back pain developed back pain during their college rowing career than subjects without preexisting back pain (57.1% versus 36.6%). Of those with preexisting pain, 55% missed practice because of back pain and 8% ended their college rowing careers; for those without preexisting pain, the percentages were 62% and 17%, respectively. For subjects with pain before their college rowing career, 78.8% missed less than 1 week and 5.9% missed more than 1 month. For subjects with no preexisting pain, 61.9% missed less than 1 week and 18.1% missed more than 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: While rowers with preexisting back pain are more likely to have back pain in college, they are less likely to miss extended periods of practice time or end their college rowing careers because of back pain.

Back pain in intercollegiate rowers.

BACKGROUND: Back pain is prevalent among intercollegiate rowers. PURPOSE: We conducted a large-scale study to determine the rate of and the potential etiologic factors for clearly defined back pain that developed during intercollegiate rowing. STUDY DESIGN: Survey. METHODS: Surveys from 1632 former intercollegiate rowing athletes were analyzed. These surveys concerned training methods and back pain before and during intercollegiate rowing. Back pain was defined as pain that lasted at least 1 week. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-six subjects reported that back pain developed during intercollegiate rowing. Factors significantly associated with the development of back pain included age at the time of the survey; history of rowing before age 16; use of a hatchet oar blade; training with free weights, weight machines, and an ergometer; midline ergometer cable position; and ergometer training sessions longer than 30 minutes. Back pain while in college also was associated with higher mean college weight and height. CONCLUSIONS: Intercollegiate rowers in the last 10 years covered by this study were larger, started rowing at an earlier age, trained more intensely, and developed more back pain during college than their predecessors.

Prevalence of obesity in adult population of former college rowers.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of adolescent and adult obesity in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. This study examined the prevalence of obesity in adults aged 20 through 60 years, comparing established national norms with a selected population of former college rowers. METHODS: Selected for study were 4,680 male and female former intercollegiate rowing athletes who graduated in 1928 through 1998. The participants were surveyed regarding duration of rowing career and training methods, current and college height and weight, and questions regarding lifetime episodes of back pain. After two mailings, 2,165 (46%) questionnaires were returned. Our study data were compared with national cross-sectional survey data obtained through the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey III (NHANES III). RESULTS: Male and female former rowers had a significantly lower prevalence of obesity than the general population both in college and through their lifetime (P < .001). For rowers of both sexes, there was a trend of slightly higher body mass index (BMI) in each older age-group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Former collegiate rowers were less obese than the general population. BMI increases with age, and encouraging athleticism for those who are of college age and younger might be an effective method to decrease adult obesity.