{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T14:02:14Z","timestamp":1787925734886,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776384000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosdigitalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Digit Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Low back pain (LBP) is common among adolescent cricketers, often due to repetitive lumbar stress. This study investigated LBP among 450 adolescent cricketers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, considering a range of factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, game-related activities, preventive practices, and LBP-related history. Various ML algorithms applied to LBP severity classification included K-Nearest Neighbors, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, and Support Vector Machine (SVM). LBP severity was categorized into three classes as no pain, mild pain, and moderate pain because there was an insufficient amount of data for the severe pain category. The SVM using the sigmoid kernel of the models considered gave the best performance as it produced the best performance metrics of test accuracy (87.6%), precision (90%), recall (87.6%), and F1-score (87.1%). In addition, regression analysis was also applied to identify the predictors of LBP. Key correlates included female gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.52), higher educational attainment (e.g., undergraduate: AOR\u2009=\u20095.38), elevated family income (e.g.,\u2009&gt;\u200960,000 BDT: AOR\u2009=\u20094.36), longer weekly practice duration (&gt;20 hours: higher prevalence of 81.7%), inconsistent warm-up (often\/sometimes: AOR\u2009=\u200912.48-14.07) and cool-down practices (sometimes: AOR\u2009=\u20092.86), and prior LBP history (AOR\u2009=\u20096.92), all significantly associated with increased LBP risk (p\u2009&lt;\u20090.05). The findings show the importance of early intervention and prevention protocols for minimizing LBP occurrence among junior cricket players. In short, this work demonstrates the effectiveness of ML and regression models for ascertaining sports injury patterns of risk, data-informed prevention and management protocols, and providing a foundation for future studies on this subject. Limitations include the exclusion of a severe pain category due to insufficient data, which reduces the model's capacity to triage urgent cases requiring immediate intervention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pdig.0001369","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T17:26:25Z","timestamp":1776446785000},"page":"e0001369","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pdig.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Machine Learning-Based Pattern Recognition of Risk Factors for Low Back Pain among Adolescent Cricket Players in Dhaka City"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7898-6839","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marzana Afrooj","family":"Ria","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tasrima Trisha","family":"Ratna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shudeshna Chakraborttye","family":"Purba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rubal","family":"Kar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohoshina","family":"Karim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3104-0745","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Md Osman","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erfat Jaren","family":"Chaity","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8021-9659","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Shahadath","family":"Hossen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7237-7715","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Joynal Abedin","family":"Imran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9555-5831","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Shahriar","family":"Hasan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pdig.0001369.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.18376\/\/2015\/v11i2\/67706","article-title":"Low back pain in adolescent athletes; evaluation and rehabilitation","volume":"11","author":"A Gera","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Exerc Sci Physiother"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.1186\/s12891-019-2707-9","article-title":"Gender differences in the prevalence of low back pain associated with sports activities in children and adolescents: a six-year annual survey of a birth cohort in Niigata City, Japan","volume":"20","author":"R Kikuchi","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Musculoskelet Disord"},{"issue":"22","key":"pdig.0001369.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1299","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2021-104749","article-title":"Incidence, prevalence and risk factors for low back pain in adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"56","author":"J Wall","year":"2022","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"issue":"8","key":"pdig.0001369.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.71151","article-title":"Risk Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in 2023","volume":"8","author":"MO Faruk","year":"2025","journal-title":"Health Sci Rep"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.17159\/2078-516X\/2012\/v24i1a352","article-title":"Prevalence of cricket-related musculoskeletal pain among adolescent cricketers in KwaZulu-Natal","volume":"24","author":"M Noorbhai","year":"2012","journal-title":"S Afr j sports med"},{"issue":"4","key":"pdig.0001369.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.15584\/ejcem.2019.4.4","article-title":"An experimental analysis of different point specific musculoskeletal pain among selected adolescent-club cricketers in Dhaka City","volume":"17","author":"M Rashaduzzaman","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur J Clin Exp Med"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sany SA. Low back pain and associated risk factors among medical students in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. 2021. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17632\/MFKY2JTTWP.3","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.55151.1"},{"issue":"2","key":"pdig.0001369.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsams.2015.02.011","article-title":"Lumbar load in adolescent fast bowlers: A prospective injury study","volume":"19","author":"H Bayne","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Sci Med Sport"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.17159\/2078-516X\/2023\/v35i1a15172","article-title":"Management of lumbar bone stress injury in cricket fast bowlers and other athletes","volume":"35","author":"JW Orchard","year":"2023","journal-title":"S Afr J Sports Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"pdig.0001369.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"272","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pain.2007.01.010","article-title":"Heritability of low back pain and the role of disc degeneration","volume":"131","author":"MC Batti\u00e9","year":"2007","journal-title":"Pain"},{"issue":"10","key":"pdig.0001369.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1740","DOI":"10.1136\/ard.2010.137836","article-title":"Lumbar disc degeneration and genetic factors are the main risk factors for low back pain in women: the UK Twin Spine Study","volume":"70","author":"G Livshits","year":"2011","journal-title":"Ann Rheum Dis"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-016-0774-4","article-title":"Can screening instruments accurately determine poor outcome risk in adults with recent onset low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"15","author":"EL Karran","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Med"},{"issue":"6","key":"pdig.0001369.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1183","DOI":"10.1007\/s40279-016-0645-3","article-title":"Prevalence of Back Pain in Sports: A Systematic Review of the Literature","volume":"47","author":"K Trompeter","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sports Med"},{"issue":"12","key":"pdig.0001369.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3600","DOI":"10.3390\/s20123600","article-title":"Using a motion sensor to categorize nonspecific low back pain patients: A machine learning approach","volume":"20","author":"M Abdollahi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"issue":"4","key":"pdig.0001369.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"707","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajem.2018.01.008","article-title":"A systematic review of the pain scales in adults: Which to use?","volume":"36","author":"O Karcioglu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Am J Emerg Med"},{"issue":"9","key":"pdig.0001369.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"660","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.07.043497","article-title":"Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents","volume":"85","author":"M de Onis","year":"2007","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.1186\/s13102-023-00732-1","article-title":"Intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers in cricket: a systematic review","volume":"15","author":"P Farhart","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjsem-2020-000818","article-title":"Biomechanical risk factors of lower back pain in cricket fast bowlers using inertial measurement units: a prospective and retrospective investigation","volume":"6","author":"B Senington","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med"},{"issue":"2","key":"pdig.0001369.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100064","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pes.2025.100064","article-title":"Development of proning pose classification system for selfcare of COVID-19 patients","volume":"2","author":"S Hossen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Prog Eng Sci"},{"issue":"4","key":"pdig.0001369.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.55489\/njcm.134202222","article-title":"A review on logistic regression in medical research","volume":"13","author":"NR Panda","year":"2022","journal-title":"Natl J Community Med"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/9781118548387","volume-title":"Applied logistic regression","author":"DW Hosmer","year":"2013","edition":"3"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28808","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2019.2955754","article-title":"Medical Health Big Data Classification Based on KNN Classification Algorithm","volume":"8","author":"W Xing","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"issue":"4","key":"pdig.0001369.ref023","first-page":"1233","article-title":"Multiclass classification using random forest algorithm to prognosticate the level of activity of patients with stroke","volume":"9","author":"NJ Apao","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Sci Technol Res"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-84996-098-4","volume-title":"Support Vector Machines for Pattern Classification","author":"S Abe","year":"2010"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref025","first-page":"304","article-title":"Human Activity Recognition Using K-Nearest Neighbor Machine Learning Algorithm","volume-title":"Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies","author":"S Mohsen","year":"2021"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Xu L, Yang W, Cao Y, Li Q. Human activity recognition based on random forests. In: 2017 13th International Conference on Natural Computation, Fuzzy Systems and Knowledge Discovery (ICNC-FSKD), 2017. 548\u201353. doi: 10.1109\/fskd.2017.8393329","DOI":"10.1109\/FSKD.2017.8393329"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1038\/s41746-020-0303-x","article-title":"Artificial intelligence to improve back pain outcomes and lessons learnt from clinical classification approaches: three systematic reviews","volume":"3","author":"SD Tagliaferri","year":"2020","journal-title":"NPJ Digit Med"},{"key":"pdig.0001369.ref028","first-page":"0","article-title":"Musculoskeletal disorders as a work-related risk factor of unfitness for work: a cross-sectional study of 1,327,540 workers in Occitania, France","volume":"74","author":"C Pucci","year":"2024","journal-title":"Occup Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.1186\/s13690-025-01695-0","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors of low back pain in middle-aged and older adult in China: a cross-sectional study","volume":"83","author":"X Jiang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arch Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pdig.0001369.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.12697\/poa.2024.33.1.04","article-title":"High prevalence of ankle, knee and low back problems in highly trained adolescent basketball players at the beginning of their competitive season","volume":"33","author":"M Arend","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pap Anthropol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pdig.0001369.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0270046","article-title":"Incidence and temporal changes in lumbar degeneration and low back pain in child and adolescent weightlifters: A prospective 5-year cohort study","volume":"17","author":"R Yoshimizu","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"10","key":"pdig.0001369.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6336","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19106336","article-title":"Effectiveness of warm-up intervention programs to prevent sports injuries among children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"19","author":"L Ding","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"12","key":"pdig.0001369.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1381","DOI":"10.1123\/ijspp.2024-0020","article-title":"Comparing the Effects of Aqua- and Land-Based Active Cooldown Exercises on Muscle Soreness and Sport Performance: A Randomized Crossover Study","volume":"19","author":"ECY Chin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Sports Physiol Perform"},{"issue":"5","key":"pdig.0001369.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.2519\/jospt.2017.7415","article-title":"Risk of Recurrence of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review","volume":"47","author":"T da Silva","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Orthop Sports Phys Ther"}],"container-title":["PLOS Digital Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pdig.0001369","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T17:26:36Z","timestamp":1776446796000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pdig.0001369"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Cleva","family":"Villanueva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pdig.0001369","relation":{},"ISSN":["2767-3170"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2767-3170","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]]}}}