Analysis on the effect of lumbar musculoskeletal injuries and core strength training in male weightlifters

Abstract

To study the effect of core strength training on male weightlifters with lumbar musculoskeletal injuries. Thirty male weightlifters were recruited for this study, and we examined the characteristics of sports injuries and analyzed their causes. Subsequently, the athletes underwent systematic core strength training, and we evaluated their physical motor function using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) test and the Y-Balance Test (YBT) and assessed injury rehabilitation based on the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) low back pain score post core strength training. The results revealed that 23 out of 30 male weightlifters, constituting 76.67% of the sample, exhibited various degrees of lumbar injury. Chronic lumbar musculoskeletal injuries were predominant, accounting for 56.52%, with the lumbar region being the primary site, comprising 47.83% of injuries. The most common causes of injury were physical fatigue (65.22%) and inadequate preparation activities (56.52%). Analysis of baseline data indicated no significant differences in the incidence of lumbar musculoskeletal injuries among male weightlifters of different ages, sports grades, years of professional training, or best performance (p > 0.05). After core strength training, male weightlifters with lumbar musculoskeletal injuries demonstrated significant improvements in the deep squat, trunk stability push-up, hurdle steps, rotary stability and total scores of the FMS test (p < 0.05). Similarly, their Anterior, Medial and Lateral scores in the Y-Balance Test increased significantly post-training (p < 0.05). The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) improvement index was (3.31 ± 0.76), corresponding to a 59.64% improvement rate. The incidence of lumbar musculoskeletal injuries remains elevated in male weightlifters, with lumbar vertebrae and muscles being the most commonly affected areas, notably characterized by chronic lumbar injuries. Core strength training could be considered an effective strategy for improving the functional motor abilities of male weightlifters suffering from lumbar musculoskeletal injuries as it can reduce the severity of low back pain.

Keywords

• male
• weightlifters
• lumbar musculoskeletal injuries
• core strength training
• effect analysis