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

NCT07667491 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: CE/IPLEIRIA/15/2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Lateral Epicondylitis; Prevention

Keywords

padel; lateral epicondylitis; shoulder strength; grip strength; rotator cuff; resistance training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Peak Force

  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.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• ER:IR Isometric Ratio

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Conventional Exercise Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants performed wrist extension and forearm supination-pronation strengthening exercises using dumbbells for 8 weeks.

Other: Strenght exercises

Rotator Cuff exercise Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants performed wrist extension strengthening exercises using dumbbells and the Y exercise targeting the rotator cuff for 8 weeks.

Other: Strenght exercises

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants did not receive any exercise intervention during the study period.

Interventions

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

Conventional Exercise Group; Rotator Cuff exercise Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• School of Allied Health Sciences of Porto (ESTSP) - Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP): lead
• Instituto Politécnico de Leiria: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Leiria, Portugal

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tennis Elbow

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Elbow Tendinopathy; Tendinopathy; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Elbow Injuries; Arm Injuries; Wounds and Injuries; Tendon Injuries

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Investigador Principal

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2026
• First Posted: June 25, 2026
• Study Start: November 8, 2025
• Primary Completion: April 13, 2026
• Study Completion: April 13, 2026
• Last Updated: June 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PT (1)