Published Paper Details:

: Background and objective: Karate is one of the most participated sports in the world. It has rich history tracing back to China and India. Combat sports are characterized by high-intensity and long trainings, and require a high degree of mental concentration, which combined with the frequent shortening of the time needed for tissue regeneration, can place a significant overload on the lumbar spine. Low back pain is extremely common, not only among the general population but also among athletes. The most common causes of lumbar pain include inadequate biochemical patterns, muscle imbalance, improper warm ups, inadequate training leading to repeated micro injuries. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to assess the level of disability of low back pain in Karate practitioners using Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on a group of karate practitioners whose age ranged from 18 to 35 years with years of experience between 2 and more years. Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire was used to assess level of disability for low back pain. Results: We had 46 males and 14 females out of 60 participants in our study. The study showed 10 participants had moderate disability and 50 participants had minimal disability. Conclusions: Low Back Pain commonly occurs in karate practitioners. Based on the study's results it can be concluded that low back pain has minimal disability in karate practitioners. Index Terms - Karate, Low back pain (LBP), Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire.