Musculoskeletal Pain in Adolescents Engaged in Impact and Nonimpact Sports-ABCD Growth Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify, through a 28-week follow-up, the association between pain and engagement in different sports among adolescents. Methods: In total, 63 adolescents reported the occurrence of pain, which was tracked weekly. Participants were categorized into 2 groups based on their sports participation: swimming group and other sports group. Researchers directly measured the time spent in different intensities during sports participation for 1 week using a heart rate monitor. For the covariates, body mass, body fatness, and whole-body lean soft tissue were assessed using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. Kaplan-Meier plots and risk of pain were calculated for the absence of pain during the follow-up. Results: The association between the sport type and pain occurrence remained significant even after adjusting the models for potential confounders, showing that swimmers had an increased risk of reporting pain in the neck (HR = 3.33; 95% CI, 1.53- 7.25), shoulders (HR = 2.21; 95% CI, 1.17-4.21), and trunk (HR = 5.60; 95% CI, 2.28-13.70). Conclusion: The association between the sport type and pain occurrence is evident even when controlling for confounding factors.