Abstract

Introduction: Nonspecific low back pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders among athletes, particularly in high-demand sports such as soccer. This condition is associated with altered movement patterns, impaired neuromuscular control, and changes in loading strategies, which may influence lower-extremity biomechanics and running performance in soccer players. The primary aim of this study was to comprehensively compare ground reaction force components during running between healthy male soccer players and those with nonspecific low back pain.

Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 43 male athletes (aged 16–31 years) who were selected through purposive sampling. Participants were divided into two groups: male soccer players with nonspecific low back pain (n = 22) and an age-matched healthy control group (n = 21).

Results: The results of the independent-samples t-test showed no statistically significant differences in any ground reaction force components between healthy male soccer players and those with nonspecific low back pain (p > 0.05). Although the mean vertical ground reaction force during the heel-strike phase (P = 0.091) and push-off phase (P = 0.287) was slightly higher in the low back pain group, these differences did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: The absence of statistically significant differences in external running kinetics (GRF) between the two groups suggests the adoption of a common adaptive strategy in response to chronic musculoskeletal pain. These compensatory mechanisms, likely characterized by reduced overall stiffness and loading rate, may have resulted in similar ground reaction force outputs during running.