Combined Strength of Standardized Lab Sprint Testing and Wheelchair Mobility Field Testing in Wheelchair Tennis Players.
Rowie J F Janssen, Marit P van Dijk, Thomas Rietveld and 4 others
PMID 39997884WHAT IT FOUND
Lab sprint and anaerobic power closely matched on-court sprint power in 18 wheelchair tennis players, but field tests showed higher speeds and skill demands.
Combine both for elite athletes; field tests may suffice for amateurs.
Key findings
01Elite players performed better than amateur players on every lab and field mobility test.
02Field sprint power output showed the strongest association with lab outcomes.
03Field sprint peak linear velocity was 26 ± 14% higher than lab sprint peak velocity, while mean power output did not differ significantly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 18 wheelchair tennis players were studied, and several outcomes had fewer analysed because of missing data, so associations are limited. The design was cross-sectional, so it shows relationships between lab and field measures, not that lab testing improves mobility or predicts match performance. Field sprint power output was missing for six players, and the regression using it had only 11 individual data points. Lab and field sprints used different resistance, and field peak velocity was 26 ± 14% higher, so the tests are not interchangeable. The study included only wheelchair tennis players on hard courts, so it may not apply to other wheelchair sports or daily mobility.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that lab testing can replace field testing or predict match performance. Peak field sprint velocity was 26 ± 14% higher than lab sprint velocity, and the study did not measure competition performance.