Development and Validation of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) on an Italian Population of Padel and Tennis Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. In racquet sports, players are particularly prone to a variety of musculoskeletal issues due to the repetitive and high-intensity nature of their movements, which can lead to overuse injuries, acute trauma, and chronic conditions. The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) is a comprehensive tool designed to assess a wide range of musculoskeletal health parameters, including pain, function, physical activity levels, and the impact of musculoskeletal issues on daily living. This study aims is developing and validating an Italian version of the MSK-HQ for tennis and padel players. Materials and methods. The study was conducted between May and September 2022. The simple study consists of athletes who practice padel, tennis, other sports and who do not practice at all. Each of the participants was administered the Italian version of the MSK-HQ for assessing the impact of musculoskeletal disorders during activities of daily living (ADL). Results. A total of 269 participants were recruited in this study, including 100 (37.2%) padel players and 50 (18.6%) tennis players. MSK-HQ showed, for padel players, a value at Cronbach’s alpha of 0.903 and for tennis players a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.868. Cross-cultural validity showed, between each of the cohorts of athletes and on the total score of the MSK-HQ, a P-value < 0.001. Conclusions. In conclusion, the MSK-HQ can be used in relation to padel and tennis having a high level of internal consistency and validity.