Insufficient Back Strength Puts Kids at Higher Risk for Future Problems

A recent study looked at whether low lumbar extension strength, high lumbar mobility, and high mobility–extension strength ratios are related to current and future low back pain in adolescents. The study looked at kids in the eighth and ninth grades during the 1996–1997 school year. 88 adolescents participated in the study, and each was given a low back pain questionnaire to determine their pain or discomfort in the low back during the preceding year. Follow-up was conducted 3 years later. Researchers found that insufficient strength and stability in the low back both serve as important factors for concurrent and future low back pain in adolescents.