ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Limited funding is available for athletes with disabilities in the United Kingdom. This compounds the barriers to participation and development that already exist. METHOD: To combat this growing problem, a Multi-Disciplinary Pediatric Adaptive Sports Clinic was formed. RESULT: Fifteen athletes with disabilities attended the Clinic from November 2017 to November 2019. In our cohort, there were 10 males and 5 females (age range: 13-18 years). Most athletes participated at a grassroots level (n = 9). The range of diagnoses included cerebral palsy, Ehlers Danlos syndrome and congenital hand differences. Forty-four appointments were made after the initial meeting with a 95% attendance rate. Improvements beyond the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) for the Patient Specific Functional Scale, Numerical Pain Rating Scale, and Medical Research Council Manual Muscle Testing Scale were noted in over half of cases. CONCLUSION: With a focus on injury prevention and strength and conditioning techniques, this clinic supported athletes to successfully compete from a recreational to an elite level across all types of sports and adolescent ages by providing patient-specific regimens. Our case series provides preliminary evidence to suggest the formation of similar clinics that can support athletes with disabilities across a range of sports.
