European Spine Journal · IF 2.8 · August 28, 2026 · LoE III
Associations between different sports and low back pain: a population-based study with a 15-year follow-up
Tuuli Metsäntaus, Juhani Määttä, Jaro Karppinen, Urho M. Kujala, Paulo Ferreira, Petteri Oura, Eveliina Heikkala — University of Oulu
Using the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n=3352), researchers looked at whether the type and frequency of sport played in adulthood (age 31) predicted low back pain (LBP) status 15 years later (age 46). After adjusting for sex, BMI, smoking, education, occupational exposure, and comorbidities, only cross-country skiing remained associated with lower odds of repeatedly reported LBP (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.60-0.98 for skiing up to once a week; OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51-1.00 for at least twice a week), while running and gym training lost significance after adjustment, and no sport was associated with new-onset or resolved LBP.
AI summary · from the full text · reviewed by Pukhraj Gaheer, Medical Student, Queen's University before publishing
Why it mattersIt's a commonly asked clinical question, whether recommending specific sports (rather than just 'more exercise') can help prevent recurrent low back pain, and this study offers population-level, though modest, evidence that not all physical activity is equal.
Conclusion strengthConfirms prior evidence
This identifies a risk factor rather than testing a treatment, so it cannot support a change in what we do.
Presenting this at rounds? Start here
- ?If a patient with recurrent low back pain asks which sport to take up, should cross-country skiing be specifically recommended over running or gym training based on this evidence?
- ?How should clinicians counsel patients about the limits of this data (borderline confidence intervals, self-reported pain, no dose-response causality) when discussing exercise choices for LBP prevention?