Paper Title
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AMONG UNIVERSITY BADMINTON PLAYERS WITH LOWER BACK PAIN

Abstract
Purpose: For improving prevention programs for badminton injuries, deficits in physical fitness which might lead to badminton injuries among badminton players should be well studied. This study aimed to the characteristics of physical fitness among university badminton players with lower back pain using medical check-up. Methods: A questionnaire survey and physical fitness tests of medical check-up were performed among 51 university badminton players (25 males and 26 females). The questionnaire survey asked for basic parameters comprising of sex, age, height, weight, years of badminton experience, daily training hours, weekly training days, warm-up, and injuries/pain associated with badminton. The physical fitness tests comprising of handgrip strength, heel buttock distance, straight leg raising, single leg stance, shoulder internal rotation and external rotation, and trunk flection, extension, and rotation, were performed to evaluate physical fitness. Independent-samples t-test, pair-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon’s rank-sum test were used for data analysis. Results: There were 36.0% male badminton players reported lower back injuries while 15.4% female badminton players reported lower back injuries. Thirty-two (62.7%) badminton players reported the current lower back pain. Incidence rate of lower back injury was 0.43(male: 0.60, female: 0.27) per 1000 athlete-hours of exposures. The badminton players were divided into four groups broken down by the current lower back pain status and sex. Significant differences in the angle straight leg raising of both legs were found between the lower back pain group and the lower back pain free group (dominant: pain group vs pain free group: 82.1o ± 9.1ovs 69.9o ± 1.0o, p< 0.05; nondominant side: pain group vs pain free group: 79.3o ± 10.4ovs 64.1o ± 3.0o, p< 0.05) Conclusion: Among university badminton players, lower back pain associated with badminton was common. Greater straight leg raising angle might be a risk factor for lower back pain in male university badminton players.