Pain originating from the sacroiliac joint is a common non-traumatic musculoskeletal complaint in elite inline-speedskaters - an observational study

To investigate common non-traumatic musculoskeletal complaints of the low back in elite inline-speedskaters of the German national team.Traumatic injuries associated with falls or collisions are well documented in speedskaters but so far no studies have investigated non-traumatic low back pain. Previously, the sacroiliac joint was suspected as a frequent origin of complaint, we aimed to investigate this assumption.Two chiropractors examined elite inline-speedskaters of the German national team during three sports events between summer 2010 and 2011. A test cluster of five provocative tests for the sacroiliac joint was selected based on reliability and validity.A total of 37 examinations were conducted on 34 athletes with low back pain during the three sport events. The reported pain intensities ranged from mild to moderate pain (VAS 23.4 ± 13.4 to 35.1 ± 19.2). About 90% of cases showed involvement of the SI joint of which again 90% presented with left sided symptoms.Non-traumatic complaints of the low back originating from the left sacroiliac joint frequently occur in competitive inline speedskaters.Much has been written about injuries associated with falls or collisions in recreational inline-skating [1-5], but so far no attention has been put on non-traumatic musculoskeletal complaints. In fact, very little research has been conducted at all concerning sport specific complaints of whatever cause in inline-speedskaters.Inline speedskating is one of the fastest growing disciplines in competitive skating worldwide and races are held in a variety of formats and on a variety of surfaces. The competitive inline speedskating combines a movement pattern similar to speedskating on ice and involves pack-oriented competition modes known from cycling [6]. The competitions are generally held at roller skating rinks with oval tracks of about 100 m in circumference. Races involve the athletes attempting to establish the best time while racing counter-clockwise around the track