Low Back Pain and Vitamin Receptors in Athletes
Low back pain (LBP) is common in athletes, and although LBP can negatively impact athletic performance and health, factors contributing to LBP in athletes remain elusive and warrant further study.
This study will investigate whether the possession of a specific genotype and/or allele of the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) FokI polymorphism (rs2228570) is a risk factor for LBP in athletes from different sports disciplines.
This genotype/phenotype association case-control study will include
60 Italian athletes were included, of which 16.7% were swimmers and 11.7% were soccer players.
The VDR -FokI polymorphism was measured by PCR-RFLP in 24 athletes with LBP and 36 athletes without LBP episodes, with the absence or presence of FokI restriction sites indicated by "F" and "f", respectively. Other risk factors were assessed by questionnaires.
Results.
The homozygous FF genotype was detected in 58.3% of athletes with LBP versus 27.8% of athletes without LBP, adjusted OR = 5.78, 95% CI 1.41-23.8, P = 0.015.
The F allele was a 2-fold risk factor for developing LBP, adjusted OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.02-6.43, P = 0.046, but the F allele was protective. Exposure to vehicle vibration for more than 2 hours daily and family history of lumbar spine lesions were important risk factors for LBP with OR = 3.54 and OR = 9.21, respectively.
In conclusion, our results indicate that vitamin D receptors may be associated with low back pain in athletes, but additional studies are needed to provide biochemical proof.
Cauci, S., Migliozzi, F., Trombetta, C.S. et al. Low back pain and FokI (rs2228570) polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor in athletes. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 9, 4 (2017). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-017-0069-x
Summary.
Why vitamin D receptors? The vitamin D receptor may be related to tissues such as intervertebral discs. This is the result of a study that focused on the vitamin D receptor.
It was discovered that there is a connection, but how does it lead to back pain? As mentioned above, there is no clear answer to this question. As mentioned above, long-distance vehicle vibration and family history have also been suggested to be related, but it is unclear whether these are also related to this study, so this is something to watch for in future research.
