Does trunk and hip muscles strength predict performance during a core stability test?

STRENGTH TRAINING IN THE ABDOMINAL CORE OF TENNIS PLAYERS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Tennis players often participate in large-scale competitions, requiring a stable pattern of play to achieve the best results. This sport style requires great strength of the abdominal core because this strengthened muscle group will play a key role in the motor skills of the sport, such as force conduction, support stabilization, and sports posture. Objective: Study the most effective training to improve the abdominal core strength of tennis players by experimentation. Methods: Fuzzy mathematics was used to determine the degree of correlation between various factors of abdominal core strength in tennis players and their various training methods, formulate abdominal core strength training plans, and conduct the targeted training. Results: Statistical analysis of the tests before and after the experiment found that the P value of the special test group was distributed between 0.000 and 0.004, and the P values were all shown to be less than 0.005. There was a significant difference in the experimental group's performance before and after the experiment. Conclusion: The experimental training revealed a positive effect on the experimental group's tennis-specific performance and the strength of the abdominal core. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Assessing the Association of Shoulder Pain Risk with Physical Fitness in Badminton Players at National Tournament Level

Background: Shoulder pain which affects sports performance and activities of daily life, is a common musculoskeletal problem experienced by badminton players. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the association of shoulder pain with physical fitness in elite university badminton players participating in the national tournament via medical check-ups. Methods: Physical fitness evaluations were performed among fifty-two 18 - 22 years old university badminton players participating in the national tournament. Handgrip strength, heel buttock distance, angle of straight leg raise, single leg stance, shoulder range of motion, and trunk range of motion were assessed. The prevalence of present shoulder pain was described. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association of present shoulder pain with physical fitness. Results: Sixteen badminton players (30.8%) sustained present shoulder pain related to badminton. Dominant trunk rotation (adjusted OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84 - 0.99, P-value = 0.028) and single leg stance of the nondominant leg (adjusted OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94 - 1.00, P-value = 0.048) were significantly associated with the presence of present shoulder pain. Conclusions: Decreased trunk rotation and deficit in single-leg stance balance might be potential risk factors associated with physical fitness for shoulder pain in university badminton players at national tournament level. These findings can help draw the attention of badminton coaches, players, and team members to facilitate physical fitness promotion for badminton pain/injury prevention.

CORE STABILITY TRAINING EFFECTS ON LOWER LIMB REHABILITATION OF JUDOKAS

ABSTRACT Introduction Judo is a sport that presents a high incidence of sports injuries. Judo athletes want to master their skills to the maximum. Good physical conditioning is necessary to decrease the incidence of surgeries and achieve better results. Core stability exercises can discretely reduce the likelihood of lower limb injuries in judo athletes. Objective This paper examines the rehabilitation of core stability training effects on lower limb injuries in judokas by case studies. Methods A Chinese judo team member with a lower limb injury underwent core stability training. Isokinetic strength tests, body composition tests, and functional checks explored the athlete’s physical recovery after training. Results The athletes’ lower limbs progressed with good recovery (P<0.05). Additionally, a recovery in fitness level was also noted (P<0.05). Conclusion Core stability training positively affects recovery from lower limb injuries in judokas. Evidence level II; Therapeutic Studies - Investigating the results.

Correlation between Core Stability and Upper-Extremity Performance in Male Collegiate Athletes

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of core stability, as measured by the McGill and double-leg lowering (DLL) test, with upper-extremity performance, as measured by the upper-quarter Y-balance test (UQYBT), medicine ball throw test (MBTT) and functional throwing performance index (FTPI) test, in collegiate athletes. Materials and Methods: A sample of 61 collegiate athletes from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University participated in the study. Their core stability was assessed through their McGill and DLL test scores. Their upper-extremity performance was assessed through their UQYBT, MBTT and FTPI test scores. Results: The McGill test score had a significant strong positive correlation with the MBTT score (p = 0.02, r = 0.67) and a significant moderate positive correlation with the UQYBT score (p = 0.01, r = 0.46). There was no significant correlation between the McGill and FTPI test scores (p ≥ 0.05). The DLL test score was positively correlated with the MBTT score (p = 0.02, r = 0.25) but had no significant correlation with the other sports performance variables (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: The study results suggest that core stability measures are positively correlated with most of the upper-extremity athletic-performance measures in collegiate athletes. The MBTT score was found to be the most significantly correlated with the scores in both core stability tests among all the upper-extremity athletic-performance tests in this study. However, due to the nature of this study, a cause–effect relationship cannot be established on the basis of the study’s findings, and the study results should be interpreted with caution.

Strength and Power-Related Measures in Assessing Core Muscle Performance in Sport and Rehabilitation

While force-velocity-power characteristics of resistance exercises, such as bench presses and squats, have been well documented, little attention has been paid to load, force, and power-velocity relationships in exercises engaging core muscles. Given that power produced during lifting tasks or trunk rotations plays an important role in most sport-specific and daily life activities, its measurement should represent an important part of the test battery in both athletes and the general population. The aim of this scoping review was 1) to map the literature related to testing methods assessing core muscle strength and stability in sport and rehabilitation, chiefly studies with particular focus on force-velocity-power characteristics of exercises involving the use of core muscles, 2) and to identify gaps in existing studies and suggest further research in this field. The literature search was conducted on Cochrane Library databases, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and MEDLINE, which was completed by SpringerLink, Google Scholar and Elsevier. The inclusion criteria were met in 37 articles. Results revealed that among a variety of studies investigating the core stability and core strength in sport and rehabilitation, only few of them analyzed force-velocity-power characteristics of exercises involving the use of core muscles. Most of them evaluated maximal isometric strength of the core and its endurance. However, there are some studies that assessed muscle power during lifting tasks at different loads performed either with free weights or using the Smith machine. Similarly, power and velocity were assessed during trunk rotations performed with different weights when standing or sitting. Nevertheless, there is still scant research investigating the power-velocity and force-velocity relationship during exercises engaging core muscles in able-bodied and para athletes with different demands on stability and strength of the core. Therefore, more research is needed to address this gap in the literature and aim research at assessing strength and power-related measures within cross-sectional and intervention studies. A better understanding of the power-force-velocity profiles during exercises with high demands on the core musculature has implications for designing sport training and rehabilitation programs for enhancement of athletes' performance and/or decrease their risk of back pain.

Lower limb kinematics and hip extensors strengths are associated with performance of runners at high risk of injury during the modified Star Excursion Balance Test

BACKGROUND

Reduced trunk and lower limb movement and hip and trunk muscles weakness may compromise the athletes' performance on the modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship of trunk and lower limb kinematics and strength with the performance on the mSEBT of runners at high risk of injury.

METHODS

Thirty-nine runners performed the mSEBT with the dominant limb as the support limb. An Inertial System was used to capture the trunk, hip, knee and ankle movement during the mSEBT. A handheld dynamometer was used to measure the strength of trunk extensors and lateral flexors muscles, and hip extensors, lateral rotators and abductors of the support limb. Multiple regressions were used to investigate if trunk and lower limbs kinematics and trunk and hip muscles strength are associated with performance during the mSEBT.

RESULTS

Reduced hip flexion and greater knee flexion range of motion (ROM) were associated with anterior reach in the mSEBT (r2=0.45; p<.001), greater hip flexion ROM was associated with posteromedial reach (r2=0.15; p=.012) and greater knee flexion ROM was associated with posterolateral reach (r2=0.23; p<.001). Hip extensor strength was associated with posteromedial (r2=0.14; p=.017), posterolateral (r2=0.10; p=.038) and composite reaches (r2=0.16; p=.009).

CONCLUSION

Hip and knee kinematics in the sagittal plane explained 15-45% of the runners' performance on the mSEBT and hip extensor strength explained 10-16% of the mSEBT performance. These findings provide useful information on the contribution of joints kinematics and strength when evaluating dynamic postural control in runners at high risk of injury.