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Tip-Top Trunk Strength in Top Tennis Players

Back injuries are common in top tennis players. Perhaps there's a weakness on one side of the trunk compared to the other. In this study, 109 elite tennis players were tested for rotational trunk strength on both sides.

Trunk rotation is used often during the tennis serve. It's also needed during the forehand and backhand strokes. When a right-handed tennis player swings at the ball, the left trunk muscles contract to rotate the trunk. Just the opposite is true during the backstroke. Abdominal muscles and trunk muscles work together to hold the spine steady during these movements. This is called core stability.

Researchers doing this study hoped to find out what kind of changes occur in rotational trunk strength in top tennis players. This information may help tennis players develop the best exercise program to improve core stability.

The results showed no difference in trunk strength from side to side for the male players. This means that elite-level male tennis players have equal or symmetric strength in trunk rotation on both sides. Women had greater backhand rotation strength compared to forehand rotation. This may be because most women use two hands during the backhand stroke.

The authors conclude that special training to increase or improve trunk rotation strength may not be needed in top tennis players. The core muscles already seem to be in balance. The next step is to study injured tennis players and compare their trunk strength to uninjured players.

References: Todd S. Ellenbecker and E. Paul Roetert. An Isokinetic Profile of Trunk Rotation Strength in Elite Tennis Players. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. November 2004. Vol. 36. No. 11. Pp. 1959-1963.

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