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Introduction
Competitive diving involves jumping off a 10 m platform or a 1 or 3 m springboard and doing somersaults and twists in the air before entering the water. Divers jumping from a 10 m platform reach a velocity of 51 km/h before entering the water, and decelerate to 33 km/h, amounting to approximately 400 kg N of force upon impact with the water. 1 Microtraumatic injuries are common in the sport 2 3 due to the tremendous physical stress placed on the diver. Researchers have found that low back pain (LBP) is the most frequently reported symptom in divers, 2 - 7 which we corroborated, in which the incidence of LBP in junior divers aged 13-17 was very high (38.4%). However, these divers could continue the practices with LBP. 2 Based on these findings we report the necessity for an effective injury prevention plan. 2
Baranto et al 8 reported that a diver's first back pain episode occurs during the growth spurt period, supporting the notion that this is a very vulnerable period; thus, prevention of back pain in this period is very important. Based on scientific evidence, van Mechelen et al 9 proposed a four-step practical model to formulate an effective injury prevention plan. First, investigations for the injuries are implemented to understand the rate of incidence and the severity of trauma. Second, the cause, mechanism and the risk factors for the injuries are determined. Third, a prevention plan is introduced to counteract the risk factors. Finally, a postimplementation investigation is conducted to assess the effectiveness of the prevention plan. Meeuwisse 10 suggested that there are potential intrinsic and extrinsic-risk factors for sports-related injuries; age, sex, physical characteristics, aptitude, psychological characteristics, health status and history of injury are all considered as intrinsic factors. However, Steffen and Engebretsen 11 acknowledged that few studies have been conducted regarding the risks for sports-related injuries, and that there is a need to elucidate the risk factors, mechanisms and prevention methods for high-level athletes. This is also true for competitive diving, since relatively few reports exist regarding the risks for injury. Understanding the athlete's intrinsic-risk factors for injury incidence is necessary to establish a prevention plan. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the intrinsic factors that correlate...