Athletic trainers and physical therapists working with sports teams experience extremely high rates of muscle and joint pain, with 83 percent reporting lower back pain. Research shows that fatigue increases pain risk by more than three times, and poor eating habits like skipping meals and emotional eating significantly worsen pain. According to Gram Research analysis of 132 athletic professionals, improving nutrition and managing fatigue could help reduce this occupational health burden.
Athletic trainers and physical therapists who work directly with sports teams face serious health challenges of their own. A new study of 132 professionals found that most experience chronic pain in their lower back, wrists, and neck. The research also discovered that fatigue and poor eating habits, like skipping meals and eating too fast, are connected to their pain problems. According to Gram Research analysis, these healthcare workers are so focused on keeping athletes healthy that they neglect their own wellness, creating a cycle where exhaustion and bad nutrition make their pain worse.
Key Statistics
A 2026 cross-sectional study of 132 athletic trainers and physical therapists found that 83 percent experienced lower back pain, 80 percent had wrist or finger pain, and 67 percent reported neck pain from work-related demands.
Research shows that fatigue increased the odds of musculoskeletal pain by 3.1 times among athletic professionals providing on-site team support, according to a 2026 study of 132 professionals.
A 2026 analysis of 132 athletic professionals found that suboptimal dietary habits including irregular meal timing, inadequate food intake, fast eating, and emotional eating were significantly associated with work-related musculoskeletal pain.
Among 132 athletic trainers and physical therapists surveyed in 2026, poor eating behaviors like replacing meals with snacks and emotional eating partially explained the connection between fatigue and muscle pain.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: Whether athletic trainers and physical therapists who work with sports teams experience muscle and joint pain, tiredness, and poor eating habits, and how these three things connect to each other.
- Who participated: 132 athletic professionals (athletic trainers and physical therapists) who work on-site with sports teams, surveyed online about their health over a three-month period.
- Key finding: Eight out of ten athletic professionals reported lower back pain, and fatigue increased the risk of muscle pain by more than three times. Poor eating habits like skipping meals and emotional eating were also strongly linked to pain.
- What it means for you: If you’re an athletic trainer or physical therapist, your pain and fatigue may be connected to how you’re eating and managing stress. Improving meal timing and nutrition could help reduce your pain. However, this study shows correlation, not that one definitely causes the other, so talk to your doctor about your specific situation.
The Research Details
Researchers conducted an online survey asking 132 athletic trainers and physical therapists about their work-related muscle and joint pain over the previous three months. They used a standardized fatigue scale to measure tiredness and a food-frequency questionnaire to track eating patterns. The survey collected information about pain in different body areas, energy levels, and dietary habits like meal timing, portion sizes, eating speed, and emotional eating.
The researchers then used statistical analysis to find connections between these factors. They looked at whether fatigue predicted pain, whether diet predicted pain, and whether diet might explain part of the relationship between fatigue and pain. They adjusted their analysis to account for other factors that might influence the results, like age and work hours.
This research approach is important because it captures real-world conditions for athletic professionals. Rather than studying them in a lab, researchers surveyed them about their actual work lives. This helps identify practical problems that need solutions in real workplaces. The study also looks at multiple connected factors (pain, fatigue, and diet) rather than just one, which better reflects how health problems actually develop.
This is a cross-sectional study, meaning it captures a snapshot in time rather than following people over years. This type of study can show that factors are connected but cannot prove that one causes another. The online survey method may have attracted people more aware of health issues, potentially skewing results. The sample size of 132 is moderate, which limits how broadly findings apply. However, the use of validated measurement tools (standardized fatigue and diet questionnaires) strengthens reliability. The study adjusted for confounding factors, which improves confidence in the associations found.
What the Results Show
Muscle and joint pain was extremely common among athletic professionals. Eighty-three percent reported lower back pain, 80 percent had wrist or finger pain, and 67 percent experienced neck pain. These rates are much higher than in the general working population.
Fatigue was strongly connected to pain. Athletic professionals with high fatigue had 3.1 times greater odds of experiencing muscle and joint pain compared to those with lower fatigue. This relationship held even after accounting for other factors.
Several eating habits were linked to pain, including irregular meal timing, eating too quickly, replacing meals with snacks, eating when emotionally stressed, and not eating enough. Each of these habits was independently associated with higher rates of pain.
The most interesting finding was that poor eating habits may partially explain why fatigue leads to pain. When athletic professionals skip meals, eat too fast, or eat emotionally, these behaviors appear to strengthen the connection between tiredness and pain. This suggests that improving nutrition could interrupt this harmful cycle.
The study found that multiple dietary problems often occur together in this population, suggesting systemic issues with how athletic professionals access and prioritize nutrition during work. The pattern of emotional eating was particularly notable, indicating that work stress may drive unhealthy food choices. The high prevalence of pain across multiple body regions suggests that the physical demands of the job affect the entire body, not just one area.
Previous research has shown that healthcare workers and athletic professionals experience high rates of occupational injury and pain. This study adds new information by demonstrating that fatigue and nutrition are connected to these pain problems. Earlier studies focused mainly on physical demands of the job, but this research highlights how lifestyle factors like eating habits amplify pain risk. The findings align with broader research showing that poor nutrition and fatigue worsen musculoskeletal pain in other occupational groups.
This study has several important limitations. It only captures one moment in time, so we cannot determine whether poor eating habits cause pain or whether pain causes poor eating habits. The online survey method may have attracted people with more health awareness or pain problems, making results not representative of all athletic professionals. The study did not measure actual workload or hours worked, which could influence results. Participants self-reported their pain and eating habits rather than having these measured objectively. The study did not include a control group of athletic professionals not working with sports teams, so we cannot compare their health to other occupations.
The Bottom Line
Athletic professionals should prioritize regular meal timing and balanced nutrition as part of injury prevention, just as they do for athletes. Workplaces should provide access to healthy food options and adequate break time for meals. Employers should consider workload reduction and fatigue management programs. These recommendations are supported by moderate evidence from this study, though more research is needed to confirm causation. Individuals experiencing pain should consult healthcare providers for personalized advice.
Athletic trainers and physical therapists working directly with sports teams should pay close attention to these findings, as they describe their population specifically. Sports medicine clinic managers and athletic department administrators should use this information to improve workplace conditions. The findings may also apply to other healthcare professionals with similar physical demands and work schedules. General workers with high physical demands may find the nutrition and fatigue connections relevant to their own health.
Improvements in eating habits and fatigue management may take 4 to 8 weeks to noticeably reduce pain, based on research in similar populations. However, some people may notice benefits in energy levels within 1 to 2 weeks of improving meal timing. Long-term pain reduction typically requires sustained changes over months. Individual results vary based on pain severity, job demands, and how consistently changes are maintained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do athletic trainers and physical therapists get so much back pain?
Athletic professionals experience high back pain rates (83 percent) due to physical job demands combined with fatigue and poor eating habits. A 2026 study of 132 professionals found that fatigue alone increased pain risk by 3.1 times, and skipping meals or emotional eating worsened the problem.
Can improving my diet reduce muscle pain from work?
Research suggests yes. A 2026 study of 132 athletic professionals found that poor eating habits like irregular meals and emotional eating were strongly linked to pain. Improving meal timing and nutrition may help reduce pain, though individual results vary.
How does fatigue cause muscle and joint pain?
The study found that fatigue and poor eating habits work together to increase pain. When tired professionals skip meals or eat emotionally, these behaviors appear to strengthen the fatigue-pain connection. Addressing both fatigue and nutrition may interrupt this cycle.
What eating habits hurt athletic trainers the most?
A 2026 study of 132 athletic professionals identified six harmful habits: irregular meal timing, inadequate food intake, eating too fast, unbalanced meals, replacing meals with snacks, and emotional eating. All were significantly associated with work-related muscle pain.
Should my workplace provide better food access for staff?
Yes, according to this research. The study concluded that workplaces should provide access to healthy eating options to support athletic professionals’ well-being. Poor nutrition and fatigue are connected to high pain rates, suggesting that food access is a workplace health issue.
Want to Apply This Research?
- Log meal timing and content daily, plus rate fatigue and pain levels each evening on a 1-10 scale. Track whether meals were regular, balanced, and eaten at normal pace versus rushed or skipped. Monitor correlations between meal quality, fatigue, and pain over 4-week periods.
- Set phone reminders for three regular meal times daily. Use the app to plan quick, balanced meals for work days. Log energy levels before and after meals to identify which foods reduce fatigue. Track pain levels in specific body regions to see if nutrition improvements correlate with pain reduction.
- Create a weekly dashboard showing average pain scores, fatigue ratings, and meal quality. Compare weeks with consistent meal timing to weeks with irregular eating. Set monthly goals for reducing skipped meals and emotional eating episodes. Review trends quarterly to identify which dietary changes most improve your pain and energy.
This research describes associations between fatigue, diet, and pain in athletic professionals but does not prove that one causes another. Individual pain and fatigue have many causes, and this study cannot account for all of them. If you experience persistent muscle pain or fatigue, consult a healthcare provider for proper evaluation and personalized treatment. Do not use this information to replace medical advice from your doctor or physical therapist. Workplace changes should be implemented in consultation with occupational health professionals and management.
This research translation is published by Gram Research, the science division of Gram, an AI-powered nutrition tracking app.