A comparison musculoskeletal injuries among junior and senior paddle-tennis players

Objetive. - To describe the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in senior and junior recreational Spanish paddle-tennis players. Methods and subjects. - Age, play position and sport level are hypothesized as injury risk factors. The sample was composed of 60 active paddle-tennis players; 90% were men, with a mean age of 38.98 +/- 21. Participants were asked about the injuries they had suffered during their paddle-tennis career and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Two groups were made - junior and senior - to compare the main determinants of injury in each group. Results. - The results showed that specific joint lesions due to paddle-tennis are located mainly in the elbow (36.7% seniors and 10% juniors), lower back (13.3% seniors and 23.3% juniors) and knee (20% seniors and 10% juniors). Conclusions. - The elbow has been shown as the most common region of injury in the senior group; in the junior group, it was the lower back region which showed a higher incidence. The main injury risk factors observed were age, body mass index, and laterality, although the relationships were not sufficiently strong to have a high predictive value. These findings could help physiotherapists to create preventive programmes focused mainly on the scaputohumeral joint, Lumbar and/or pelvic motor control and lower limb strength. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.