Abstract
Background:
Field hockey is a team sport played globally at various competitive levels
that requires repetitive motions at a high intensity and speed. It is played
asymmetrically, as the players may only use one side of their stick. Most of
the defensive skills and ball carrying entail a semi-crouched position of the
player coupled with trunk flexion and rotation. This body positioning allows
for more significant spinal loading than normal locomotion and, therefore is
considered ergonomically unsound.
Aim:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of low back pain in field
hockey-playing students at the University of Johannesburg. The secondary
aim determined if there was a correlation between the side on the field the
individual played on and whether their dominant hand was the cause of their
pain on a particular side.
Method and Procedure:
This research was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study design.
Data were obtained by an anonymous survey distributed via Google Forms
to field hockey players of both sexes at the University of Johannesburg
between the ages of 18 and 25. The survey comprised 22 questions divided
into five sections and aimed to determine the prevalence of low back pain
among hockey players. No study has yet been done on the University of
Johannesburg’s field hockey players to determine the prevalence of low
back pain. Permission was received from the University of Johannesburg
and the University of Johannesburg’s Sports Department to research first
and second-team field hockey players of both sexes. A link containing the
questionnaire was then distributed to the relevant players. Also included in
this link was an information letter and consent form, which the participants
needed to acknowledge before they could continue with the questionnaire.
The data from all the completed questionnaires were collected and
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analysed with the help of a statistician from STATKON, a University of
Johannesburg based statistical service.
Results:
Sixty-eight valid responses were received. The mean age of this study was
20.16 years old, with most participants being 19 years old. There were 40
female and 28 male participants. In this study, the prevalence of low back
pain was 61.8%. Bilateral low back pain was reported the most (n=21).
Conclusion:
Low back pain among the University of Johannesburg field hockey studentathletes
is common. The prevalence of low back pain was on par with
participants in a previous study in South Africa. The participants mainly
experienced low back pain centrally or bilaterally, and the severity did not
affect most participants’ playing positions. However, there was no
significant correlation between the side on the field the individual plays on
and whether their dominant hand is the cause of their pain on a particular
side. Most participants who experienced low back pain sought professional
treatment.