Musculoskeletal Injuries in Recreational Athletes as a Diagnostic Challenge in Acute Pain Syndromes – A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2026.87.67763Keywords
musculoskeletal injuries, recreational athletes, differential diagnosis, acute pain syndromes, sports medicine, acute pain, clinical practiceAbstract
Background. Musculoskeletal injuries are a common consequence of recreational physical activity. In some cases, they may present as acute pain syndromes with a non-specific clinical presentation that can mimic symptoms of internal diseases.
Objective. The aim of this study was to present the most common musculoskeletal injuries occurring in recreational athletes and to discuss their relevance in the differential diagnosis of acute pain syndromes.
Methods. A narrative review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Publications addressing musculoskeletal injuries in physically active individuals and their clinical presentation as acute pain were analyzed.
Results. The analyzed data indicate that injuries involving the lumbar region, abdominal wall, groin, and pelvis represent some of the most frequent causes of acute pain among recreational athletes. The clinical manifestations of these injuries may resemble renal colic, acute abdominal conditions, or inguinal pathologies, which can pose significant diagnostic challenges in clinical practice.
Conclusions. The analyzed data indicate that injuries involving the lumbar region, abdominal wall, groin, and pelvic area are among the most common causes of acute pain in recreational athletes. The symptoms of these injuries may clinically resemble renal colic, acute abdominal conditions, or groin pathologies, which may lead to diagnostic difficulties.
References
1. World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva: WHO; 2010.
2. Warburton DER, Nicol CW, Bredin SSD. Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ. 2006;174(6):801–809.
3. Reiner M, Niermann C, Jekauc D, Woll A. Long-term health benefits of physical activity – a systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:813.
4. Hootman JM, Dick R, Agel J. Epidemiology of collegiate injuries for 15 sports. J Athl Train. 2007;42(2):311–319.
5. van Gent RN, Siem D, van Middelkoop M, et al. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(8):469–480.
6. Pines JM, Hilton JA, Weber EJ, et al. International perspectives on emergency department crowding. Acad Emerg Med. 2011;18(12):1358–1370.
7. Pitts SR, Niska RW, Xu J, Burt CW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Natl Health Stat Report. 2008;7:1–38.
8. Bahr R, Holme I. Risk factors for sports injuries – a methodological approach. Br J Sports Med. 2003;37(5):384–392.
9. Drew MK, Finch CF. The relationship between training load and injury. Sports Med. 2016;46(6):861–883.
10. Gabbett TJ. The training–injury prevention paradox. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(5):273–280.
11. Hoskins W, Pollard H. Back pain in athletes. Sports Med. 2005;35(1):1–17.
12. Finlay DB, Friedman LS. Abdominal wall pain. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148(11):831–837.
13. Orchard JW. Groin injuries in sport. Sports Med. 2001;31(7):503–523.
14. Zoland MP, Gill BC. Differential diagnosis of groin pain. Urol Clin North Am. 2017;44(2):195–206.
15. Raja AS, Ip IK, Sodickson A, et al. Radiology utilization in the emergency department. Radiology. 2014;273(2):445–453.
16. Hamilton DF, Lane JV, Gaston P, et al. What determines patient satisfaction? BMJ Open. 2014;4:e005123.
17. Morgan DJ, Dhruva SS, Wright SM, Korenstein D. Update on medical overuse. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(1):120–124.
18. Berwick DM, Hackbarth AD. Eliminating waste in US health care. JAMA. 2012;307(14):1513–1516.
19. Balagué F, Mannion AF, Pellisé F, Cedraschi C. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet. 2012;379(9814):482–491.
20. Hoy D, Bain C, Williams G, et al. Global prevalence of low back pain. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012;71(6):968–974.
21. Fairbank JCT, Pynsent PB. The Oswestry Disability Index. Spine. 2000;25(22):2940–2953.
22. McGill SM. Low back disorders: evidence-based prevention and rehabilitation. Champaign: Human Kinetics; 2007.
23. Travell JG, Simons DG. Myofascial pain and dysfunction. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1999.
24. Bogduk N. Clinical anatomy of the lumbar spine. 5th ed. London: Elsevier; 2012.
25. Brukner P, Khan K. Clinical sports medicine. 4th ed. Sydney: McGraw-Hill; 2012.
26. Türk C, Petřík A, Sarica K, et al. EAU Guidelines on urolithiasis. Eur Urol. 2016;69(3):475–482.
27. Scales CD, Smith AC, Hanley JM, Saigal CS. Prevalence of kidney stones. Eur Urol. 2012;62(1):160–165.
28. Fields BK, Skalski MR, Patel DB, et al. Athletic injuries of the abdominal wall. Radiographics. 2017;37(6):1780–1796.
29. Zoga AC, Kavanagh EC, Omar IM, et al. Athletic pubalgia. Radiology. 2008;247(3):797–807.
30. Verrall GM, Slavotinek JP, Barnes PG. Groin injury in athletes. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(9):1525–1534.
31. Weir A, Brukner P, Delahunt E, et al. Doha agreement on groin pain. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(12):768–774.
32. Meyers WC, Foley DP, Garrett WE, et al. Management of severe lower abdominal pain. Am J Sports Med. 2000;28(1):2–8.
33. Jarvik JG, Gold LS, Tan K, et al. Imaging of back pain. J Am Coll Radiol. 2012;9(8):533–541.
34. Srinivasan R, Greenbaum DS. Chronic abdominal wall pain. Am J Gastroenterol. 2002;97(4):824–830.
35. Robinson P, Barron DA, Parsons W, et al. Adductor-related groin pain. Clin Radiol. 2004;59(6):523–530.
36. Tak IJR, Langhout RF, Barendrecht M, et al. Risk factors for groin injury. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(16):1211–1218.
37. Harmon KG. Evaluation of groin pain in athletes. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2007;6(6):354–361.
38. Serner A, van Eijck CH, Beumer BR, et al. Study of groin pain diagnoses. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(12):810–817.
39. Caudill P, Nyland J, Smith C, Yerasimides J, Lach J. Sports hernia. Sports Health. 2008;1(1):33–42.
40. Orchard J, Read JW, Neophyton J, Garlick D. Groin pain associated with hip pathology. Br J Sports Med. 2000;34(5):379–382.
41. Hölmich P, Larsen K, Krogsgaard K, Gluud C. Exercise program for groin pain. Lancet. 1999;353(9151):439–443.
42. Choosing Wisely Campaign. Five things physicians should question. JAMA. 2012;307(20):2115–2116.
43. Cassel CK, Guest JA. Choosing wisely. JAMA. 2012;307(17):1801–1802.
publikacjeoo
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sabina Ściążko-Gancarczyk, Małgorzata Maliszewska, Maciej Gancarczyk, Jagoda Węgrzyn, Kinga Marciniak
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The periodical offers access to content in the Open Access system under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 10
Number of citations: 0
