Strengthening Exercises Intervention to Withstand Lumbar Spine Stress Experienced by Beach Volleyball Players

Beach volleyball is an intensive sport that consists of explosive movements and high-impact activities. Hip-shoulder separation and trunk extension during overhead hitting and serving to increase impact on the ball exposes the lumbar spine to greater stress than normal. This makes beach volleyball players an at-risk population for lumbar spine issues such as low back pain, disc degeneration, and spondylolysis. The study “High Prevalence of Disc Degeneration and Spondylolysis in the Lumbar Spine of Professional Beach Volleyball Players” conducted by Fabrice A. Külling et al. observed MRIs of the lumbar spine of the professional beach volleyball players and determined the prevalence of disc degeneration to be 79%. The prevalence of spondylolysis was 21%, which is three times higher than that found in the normal population. Due to this greater incidence of lumbar spine pathology amongst beach volleyball players, an intervention that provides strengthening exercises that target the muscles that support the lumbar spine is proposed. The three aims of this invention are to strengthen the back muscles that support the spine, increase the stability of the core to further assist in the support of the spine, and to implement such proactively to prevent and minimize damage and associated pain.