More Load, Less Harm? Perceived Harmfulness of Daily Activities and Low Back Pain Beliefs in Weightlifters and Powerlifters

The purpose of this study was to understand how weightlifting/powerlifting (WL/PL) influences low back pain (LBP) beliefs and pain-related fear, and the potential influence of training, individual, and injury characteristics on these psychological features. Responses to the Photographic Series of Daily Activities-Short Electronic Version (PHODA-SeV) and the Back Pain and Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) were collected from 67 participants who train on WL/PL. Relevant statistics were conducted to (1) compare questionnaire scores to previously published values from the general population, (2) compare male versus female WL/PL participants, (3) estimate the correlation between PHODA-SeV and Back-PAQ, and (4) identify the most important associative factors of both scores. Only the Back-PAQ was significantly lower than the published score of 113 (p < 0.001). Male participants had a significantly lower PHODA-SeV score compared to female participants (p = 0.008), but no difference was observed for the Back-PAQ. Back-PAQ and PHODA-SeV scores were moderately correlated with each other (r = 0.54). One of the most important association factors was back squat weight for both PHODA-SeV (p < 0.001) and Back-PAQ (p = 0.006). Future studies are required to investigate whether frequent WL/PL training improves pain-related fear and beliefs and reduces the risk of LBP occurrence.