Isometric Strength and Joint Mobility Profile in Elite Artistic Swimmers Across Competitive Categories

February 19, 2026 updated by: Pablo Hernandez-Lucas, University of Vigo

General Assessment of Strength and Mobility in Artistic Swimmers of the Spanish Swimming Federation

This cross-sectional observational study aims to establish reference values for joint mobility and isometric muscle strength in elite artistic swimmers across different competitive categories. The study will analyze inter-limb asymmetries and agonist-antagonist strength ratios in upper and lower limbs. Additionally, relationships between isometric strength, countermovement jump performance, and handgrip strength will be explored to assess their utility as functional performance indicators. Participants will be assessed during national team training camps using standardized, validated measurement protocols. The findings are expected to contribute to the identification of sport-specific functional profiles and potential injury risk factors in artistic swimming.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
45

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Spain
      • Pontevedra, Spain, 36004
        • Recruiting
        • University of Vigo
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of elite artistic swimmers selected to the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team across Infant, Junior, and Senior competitive categories. Participants are high-performance athletes with national and international competitive experience who attend official national team training camps organized by the Spanish Swimming Federation. This population represents the highest competitive level in artistic swimming within the country and provides a unique reference group for functional performance characterization.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Elite artistic swimmers selected for the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team (Infant, Junior, or Senior categories).
  • Age consistent with the competitive category: Infant 14-16 years, Junior 16-18 years, Senior ≥18 years.
  • Attendance at the national team training camp where the assessments are performed.
  • Voluntary participation with written informed consent (and assent/parental or legal guardian consent for minors).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute musculoskeletal or joint injury affecting the tested regions (shoulder, hip, elbow, knee) at the time of assessment.
  • Chronic, previous, or any other condition that may limit participation or bias the measurements.
  • Inability to attend the assessment session(s) during the training camp.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Infant Artistic Swimmers
Elite artistic swimmers aged 14-16 years selected to the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team. Participants undergo a single-session standardized assessment including anthropometric measurements, joint mobility (shoulder and hip goniometry), isometric muscle strength testing (upper and lower limbs), countermovement jump performance, and handgrip strength during national team training camps.
Other: Standardized Functional Performance Assessment
Participants undergo a standardized, non-invasive functional assessment protocol conducted during national team training camps. The evaluation includes anthropometric measurements, photographic goniometry of shoulder and hip joint mobility, isometric muscle strength testing of upper and lower limbs using a validated force sensor, countermovement jump performance assessed on a contact platform, and handgrip strength measured with a digital dynamometer. All procedures are performed in a single assessment session following standardized positioning, timing, and rest intervals.
Junior Artistic Swimmers
Elite artistic swimmers aged 16-18 years selected to the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team. Participants complete the same standardized evaluation protocol assessing anthropometrics, joint mobility, isometric muscle strength, countermovement jump performance, and handgrip strength in a single assessment session.
Other: Standardized Functional Performance Assessment
Participants undergo a standardized, non-invasive functional assessment protocol conducted during national team training camps. The evaluation includes anthropometric measurements, photographic goniometry of shoulder and hip joint mobility, isometric muscle strength testing of upper and lower limbs using a validated force sensor, countermovement jump performance assessed on a contact platform, and handgrip strength measured with a digital dynamometer. All procedures are performed in a single assessment session following standardized positioning, timing, and rest intervals.
Senior Artistic Swimmers
Elite artistic swimmers aged 18 years and older selected to the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team. Participants undergo a standardized cross-sectional functional assessment including anthropometric data, joint mobility, isometric muscle strength, countermovement jump performance, and handgrip strength.
Other: Standardized Functional Performance Assessment
Participants undergo a standardized, non-invasive functional assessment protocol conducted during national team training camps. The evaluation includes anthropometric measurements, photographic goniometry of shoulder and hip joint mobility, isometric muscle strength testing of upper and lower limbs using a validated force sensor, countermovement jump performance assessed on a contact platform, and handgrip strength measured with a digital dynamometer. All procedures are performed in a single assessment session following standardized positioning, timing, and rest intervals.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Isometric Muscle Strength (Peak Force) of Upper and Lower Limbs
Time Frame: Day 1
Peak isometric force obtained during maximal voluntary isometric contractions (3-second efforts, best of three trials) for key muscle groups involved in artistic swimming, assessed bilaterally (dominant and non-dominant limbs). Upper-limb tests include shoulder internal/external rotation, ASH and iASH positions, and elbow flexion/extension. Lower-limb tests include hip flexion/extension/abduction/adduction and knee extension/flexion. Values will be recorded as absolute force and normalized to body mass when applicable.
Day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Shoulder Joint Mobility
Time Frame: Day 1
Shoulder range of motion (degrees) assessed using standardized photographic goniometry, including internal and external rotation at 90° abduction and horizontal abduction. Measurements are performed bilaterally using anatomical landmarks and digital angle analysis software.
Day 1
Hip Joint Mobility
Time Frame: Day 1
Hip range of motion (degrees) measured bilaterally using photographic goniometry, including hip flexion (straight leg raise), hip extension (Thomas test), hip abduction, and internal and external rotation with hip and knee at 90°.
Day 1
Inter-limb Strength Asymmetries
Time Frame: Day 1
Between-limb asymmetries calculated from bilateral isometric strength values for upper and lower limbs, comparing dominant vs non-dominant and right vs left sides to describe asymmetry profiles across competitive categories.
Day 1
Agonist-Antagonist Strength Ratios
Time Frame: Day 1
Strength ratios derived from isometric peak force of opposing muscle groups, including shoulder internal/external rotators and other relevant muscle actions, to characterize muscle balance profiles in artistic swimmers.
Day 1
Lower-Limb Explosive Power (Countermovement Jump)
Time Frame: Day 1
Jump height measured during countermovement jump testing on a validated contact platform, including bilateral and unilateral jumps. Best performance from three trials per condition is recorded.
Day 1
Handgrip Strength
Time Frame: Day 1
Maximal voluntary handgrip strength measured bilaterally using a digital dynamometer. Three maximal 3-second contractions are performed per hand, and mean values are recorded.
Day 1
Associations Between Isometric Strength and Functional Performance Measures
Time Frame: Day 1
Correlations between isometric strength values and functional performance indicators (countermovement jump and handgrip strength) to explore their utility as surrogate functional assessment tools.
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Vigo

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Pablo Hernández Lucas, phd, Pablo Hernández

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 27, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Nadadoras Hugo

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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