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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07667491

Effects of 8 Weeks of Two Exercise Programs on Risk Factors Associated With Epicondylitis in Amateur Padel Players

Background: The physical demands of padel can increase the risk of injuries, particularly lateral epicondylitis in the elbow. Key risk factors include deficits in forearm muscle strength and rotator cuff weakness. Prevention programs focus on forearm strengthening, with no studies on rotator cuff strength. This study aims to compare two exercise programs designed to reduce risk factors for lateral epicondylitis in amateur padel athletes, specifically wrist extensor strength, grip strength, and rotator cuff strength.

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Key information

Conditions

Lateral Epicondylitis Arm Injuries Elbow Injuries Elbow Tendinopathy Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Prevention Tendinopathy Tendon Injuries Tennis Elbow Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Leiria, Portugal

About this study

A sample of 45 amateur padel athletes was allocated to a conventional exercise group (n = 15), a rotator cuff exercise group (n = 15), or a control group (n = 15). The first two groups performed two strengthening exercises, one common to both groups (wrist extension) and one group-specific exercise (forearm supination-pronation or the Y exercise). The control group did not perform any intervention. Participants were assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). Muscle strength was measured using the ActivForce 2 hand-held dynamometer. Outcome measures included wrist extensor strength, grip strength, shoulder internal rotation strength, shoulder external rotation strength, shoulder abduction strength, and the isometric external-to-internal rotation ratio (ER:IR).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Practicing padel at least once per week
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent
  • Agreed to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • History of an upper-limb injury within the previous six months

Treatment and study plan

Strenght exercises

Other

Both exercise groups participated in two independent sessions per week for a du-ration of 8 weeks. Each session consisted of two strength exercises, with participants completing 3 sets of 10 repetitions of two strength exercises with 1-2 minutes of rest between sets

Primary outcomes

  1. Peak Force

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    maximum force across the multiple repetitions of the test - for wrist extension, grip strength, and rotator cuff strength (shoulder internal rotation (IR), shoulder ex-ternal rotation (ER), and shoulder abduction (ABD)), assessed using the ActivForce2 digital dynamometer.

Secondary outcomes

  1. ER:IR Isometric Ratio

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    calculated based on the results of the shoulder internal and external rotation PF tests

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

School of Allied Health Sciences of Porto (ESTSP) - Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP)

Other

Collaborators

  • Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 25, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 25, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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