{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]],"date-time":"2026-01-23T17:39:34Z","timestamp":1769189974408,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,19]],"date-time":"2024-12-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1734566400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia\u2014through the Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC)","award":["UIDP\/04923\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/04923\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of lower back pain (LBP) in equestrian athletes (EAs) and identify associated risk factors. Following the PRISMA guidelines, observational studies published between 2004 and 2024 in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and German were included. The review identified relevant studies through the Web of Science, EBSCO, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS (last search performed on 30 October 2024), yielding 14 studies with a total of 4527 participants. The question format for the included studies specified the population as equestrian athletes, the exposure as equestrian sports, and the outcome as lower back pain. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Observation Study Quality Evaluation tool, and six studies were deemed high-quality. LBP prevalence in EAs was higher than in the general and athlete population, with point prevalence ranging from 27.9% to 87.9%. Sport-specific factors, including workload and stable duties, were significant risk factors. Methodological inconsistencies, such as varying definitions of LBP and a lack of standardized exposure assessment, and the overall low quality of studies limited the comparability of findings. This review underscores the need for more high-quality research and tailored interventions addressing both riding and off-horse activities in EAs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sports12120355","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,19]],"date-time":"2024-12-19T08:04:14Z","timestamp":1734595454000},"page":"355","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Prevalence of Lower Back Pain and Risk Factors in Equestrians: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Carlota Rico","family":"Duarte","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Escola Superior de Bioci\u00eancias de Elvas, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Portalegre, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal"},{"name":"CHRC\u2014Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9753-8381","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Armando","family":"Raimundo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CHRC\u2014Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola de Sa\u00fade e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5644-583X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o Paulo","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CHRC\u2014Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola de Sa\u00fade e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7273-8774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Orlando","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CHRC\u2014Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola de Sa\u00fade e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7004-516 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6328-8097","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rute","family":"Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escola Superior de Bioci\u00eancias de Elvas, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Portalegre, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal"},{"name":"VALORIZA\u2014Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Portalegre, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2028","DOI":"10.1002\/art.34347","article-title":"A systematic review of the global prevalence of low back pain","volume":"64","author":"Hoy","year":"2021","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheum."},{"key":"ref_2","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":"Trompeter","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sports Med."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"766","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2018-100035","article-title":"Exercise alone and exercise combined with education both prevent episodes of low back pain and related absenteeism: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials [RCTs] aimed at preventing back pain","volume":"54","author":"Huang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Br. 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