Awareness and Association of Dynamic Stability and Core Muscle Strength in Professional Padel Players – A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences while comparing dynamic stability and core strength and to identify relations among professional padel players. Methods: This cross-sectional study was planned in Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia. A total of 30 players was recruited out of which 15 were males and 15 were females. Each participant was informed about the nature and importance of studying prior data before data collection and an informed consent was also obtained. The data was collected from six padel centers as per plan located across the city using physical examination form divided into three sections: Demographic details, Plank test time and SEBT (star excursion balance test). Results: Findings of this study suggested that despite SEBT mean reach distance score (males>females) was comparable based on gender, the difference remained non-significant (p>0.05). Plank test time between males and females were also found to be non-significant. Correlation analysis showed weak to moderate positive relation between plank time and SEBT for both dominant and non-dominant leg side, however, only significance was found for anterior reach direction (r = 0.407, p-value = 0.026). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that dynamic stability and core endurance between male and female players of padel sport does not show any significant reach differences attributed to similar levels of training adaptations. On analyzing the association between core strength and reach distance, it was found that the anterior direction movements were more stabilized than others in both the genders suggesting the importance of forward leaning position more prominent in padel sport. This study also reinforces the importance of core strength in maintaining dynamic stability related to this sport.