Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) Among Badminton Players: A Comparative Study Between Hayatabad Sports Complex and Qayyum Sports Complex, Peshawar

Abstract

Lateral elbow tendinopathy (lateral epicondylitis) is an overuse condition with pain and dysfunction involving the lateral portions of the elbow. The sport of badminton involves repetitive gripping and holding, stabilization of the wrist, forearm rotation, and quick acceleration of the racket, which combine to place an upper-limb loading on the body. To compare and estimate the lateral-elbow pain and functional burden between badminton players of Hayatabad Sports Complex and Qayyum Sports Complex, Peshawar using the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE), and to develop an analytical framework to determine related risk factors. A comparative cross sectional study was carried out on 146 badminton players, 60 at Hayatabad Sports Complex and 86 at Qayyum Sports Complex. The mean age of the participants was 18-30 years, with 90 males and 56 females, and 3-5 years of playing experience, reporting a 25-minute warm-up. The total scores of PRTEE (0-100) were analyzed as a continuous variable, as well as descriptively categorized as 70-90/100.90/146 participants had a previous sports injury recorded. Where possible, descriptive statistics, 95% confidence intervals, Welch independent-samples t-test, chi-square/Fisher exact tests, odds ratios, and separation-aware regression were used. Overall PRTEE mean ± SD was 69.60 ± 21.96 (95% CI 66.01-73.20). Hayatabad Sports Complex mean was 73.48 ± 18.72 (95% CI 68.65-78.32) and Qayyum Sports Complex mean was 66.90 ± 23.70 (95% CI 61.81-71.98). The between site mean difference was 6.59 points, 48/60 (80.0%) Hayatabad Sports Complex and 60/86 (69.8%) Qayyum Sports Complex had PRTEE score 70-90/100, overall 108/146 (74.0%).The 90/146 (61.6%) reported previous sports injury and this was strongly associated with the 70-90/100 classification (Fisher exact p<.001). There was a large amount of lateral-elbow pain and functional disability in the badminton players sampled, as measured by the PRTEE. The mean PRTEE scores were higher for Hayatabad Sports Complex than Qayyum Sports Complex but was not significant between the two. The high PRTEE classification was strongly associated with previous sports injury. When reporting true prevalence of lateral epicondylitis, clinical examination is still required since PRTEE is a symptom severity tool.