Morphological Asymmetry in Elite Female Tennis Players

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

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

Conditions
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Development; Unilateral

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 16 Years
Maximum Age: 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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What is the study measuring?
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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 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Tennis, Asymmetry, Morphological