Morphological Asymmetry in Elite Female Tennis Players (AsymFemaleTP)

Morphological Asymmetry in Elite Female Tennis Players Competing in an International Tournament in Belgium: an Observational Study

Humans generally develop a preferred upper and lower extremity. Due to repetitive uneven loading, this gradually results in morphological adaptations to the dominant side of the body. The corresponding morphological asymmetry can be further accentuated by (intensively) practicing a unilateral sport such as tennis, which is very popular. Yet, research on this particular topic is scarce, especially in (elite) female players. Furthermore, existing studies only examine the degree of morphological asymmetry of the upper extremity. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the morphological differences between the dominant and the non-dominant extremity/side on a whole body level (trunk, upper and lower extremity) in elite female tennis players.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Development; Unilateral

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 30

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Brussels, Belgium, 1050
    • Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 40 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Professional, or elite, female tennis players

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants will have to be professional, or elite, female tennis players.
• The players will have to participate in international tournaments in Belgium.

Exclusion Criteria:

• N/A

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Demographics	Date of birth (in day/month/year to subsequently determine age) Gender: male or female Dominant upper extremity: right or left Dominant lower extremity: right or left Playing experience (in years) Average training hours (in hours per week) These values will be determined cross-sectionally and reported as mean and standard deviation.	01/07/2017 - 31/12/2018
Anthropometry	Stature (cm) Weight (kg) Body Mass Index (kg/m²) Upper extremity length (cm) Lower extremity length (cm) These values will be determined cross-sectionally and reported as mean and standard deviation.	01/07/2017 - 31/12/2018
Body Composition	Whole body composition: dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fat mass (g) lean mass (g) Bone mass (g) Bone mineral content (g) Bone mineral density (g/cm²) Bone area (cm²); Muscle thickness and subcutaneous fat layer: Ultrasound. Thickness of the subcutaneous fat (in mm) and muscle thickness (in mm) of the dominant and non-dominant M. Biceps Brachialis, M. Triceps Brachialis, M. Rectus Abdominis, M. Quadriceps Femoris and Hamstrings.; Circumferences: anthropometric tape measure. Upper and lower arm (in cm) Upper and lower leg (in cm) These values will be determined cross-sectionally and reported as mean and standard deviation. In addition, all these outcome measures will be determined and reported for both the dominant and non-dominant upper and lower extremity separately.	01/07/2017 - 31/12/2018
Morphological asymmetry	Side-to-side difference (i.e. dominant versus non-dominant upper and lower extremity) will be calculated and expressed as a percentage (extremity symmetry index (%)) for the outcome measures described above (i.e. fat mass, muscle mass, bone mass, bone mineral content and bone mineral density). Extremity symmetry index = (measure dominant extremity or side / measure non-dominant extremity of side - 1) x 100	01/07/2017 - 31/12/2018

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Investigators: Study Director: Eva D'Hondt, PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Study Director: Peter Clarys, PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): July 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2018
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 3, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): May 5, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 17, 2017
• Last Verified: May 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Tennis; Asymmetry; Morphological
• Other Study ID Numbers: Asym Female Elite TP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual Participant Data (IPD) will not be shared or will not be available to other researchers

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No