The Relationship Between Muscle Length Imbalance and the Occurrence of Scoliosis and Back Pain in Collegiate Female Gymnasts

Gymnastics at the collegiate level is unique in that these elite athletes begin high volume and high intensity training at a very young age. The sport is unilateral meaning each gymnast has a dominant leg that always leads in split leaps and a dominant side to which they always twist. The combination of these factors puts the gymnast at risk for developing muscle length imbalances between their dominant and non-dominant sides. With such a high incidence of back pain in this population, more research was needed to investigate any relationships with potential muscle length imbalances. The purpose of this study was to determine if collegiate women gymnasts exhibit muscle length imbalances in the lower extremity and if these imbalances were related to back pain, the amount of spinal curvature, or both. Muscle length measurements of the iliopsoas, rectus femoris, hamstrings, and quadratus lumborum were taken on 13 UNC female varsity gymnasts. Participants completed a Modified Oswestry Disability Index if they experienced back pain. Using the angle tool on Image J software, the amount of spinal curvature for each gymnast was measured from a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. A statistically significant difference in length was found between the dominant and non-dominant sides for the hamstrings (p=0.001). While there were not any statistically significant imbalances for the other muscle groups, there were differences between sides that carry clinical significance. There was a statistically significant relationship between the amount of rectus femoris imbalance and back pain (R=0.797; p=0.001) and the amount of quadratus lumborum imbalance and spinal curvature (R=0.683; p=0.010). The results of this study indicate that the unilateral nature of gymnastics can cause the development of muscle length imbalances. These imbalances then contribute to back pain and spinal curvature, which may have long-term implications for the athlete.Bachelor of Art