Lumbar spine injuries among high-school and college-aged competitive swimmers associated with various training methods and stroke specialties.

Abstract

Lumbar spine injuries are a frequent overuse injury among competitive swimmers, yet prevention strategies have not been well studied. This retrospective study evaluated 285 swimmers (mean age 18.7 ± 3.1 years) to identify risk factors. Demographics, stroke specialities, training characteristics, and injury history were collected. Group comparisons were conducted with t-tests and chi-square analyses, and logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-nine swimmers (10.2%) reported lumbar spine injuries, including spondylolysis, lumbar strain, disc pathology, and facet joint pain. Injured athletes were older, trained more hours in the pool, competed at a higher level, were hypermobile, and used kickboards less often. Adjusted regression demonstrated that higher pool training volume (OR = 2.28, 95% CI [1.20, 4.35]) and hypermobility significantly increased the risk (OR = 4.25, 95% CI [1.19, 15.24]), whereas greater kickboard use reduced risk (OR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.40, 0.96]). These findings suggest that training load and equipment use are important modifiable factors and should be considered in developing strategies to prevent lumbar spine injuries in swimmers.