Relationship Between Low Back Pain, Somatotype, and Flexibility in Physiotherapy Students

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between low back pain, somatotype, and flexibility (F) in physiotherapy students. Materials and Methods: 93 volunteer participants between the ages of 18- 40 were included in the study. The severity of participants’ low back pain was evaluated with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Trunk and lower extremity flexibility was measured using goniometry and a non-flexible tape measure. Somatotype analysis was performed using the Heath-Carter method. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the study, 5 different somatotypes were identified: balanced ectomorph, balanced endomorph, ectomorphic endomorph, endomorph ectomorph and mesomorphic endomorph. It was determined that the F-quadriceps-right and F-quadriceps-left test results had a statistically significant difference between somatotypes (p<0.05). It was determined that the mesomorphic endomorph somatotype affected the F-quadriceps-right and F-quadriceps-left test measurement results more than other somatotypes. Conclusion: Our study concluded that low back pain in physiotherapy students is not related to somatotype, but mesomorphic endomorph somatotype character is related to quadriceps muscle flexibility. Keywords: Low back, pain, somatotype, flexibility, student.