Wheelchair rugby players maintain sprint performance but alter propulsion biomechanics after simulated match play.

The study aimed to explore the influence of a sports-specific intermittent sprint protocol (ISP) on wheelchair sprint performance and the kinetics and kinematics of sprinting in elite wheelchair rugby (WR) players with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). Fifteen international WR players (age 30.3 ± 5.5 years) performed two 10-s sprints on a dual roller wheelchair ergometer before and immediately after an ISP consisting of four 16-min quarters. Physiological measurements (heart rate, blood lactate concentration, and rating of perceived exertion) were collected. Three-dimensional thorax and bilateral glenohumeral kinematics were quantified. Following the ISP, all physiological parameters significantly increased (p ≤ 0.027), but neither sprinting peak velocity nor distance traveled changed. Players propelled with significantly reduced thorax flexion and peak glenohumeral abduction during both the acceleration (both -5°) and maximal velocity phases (-6° and 8°, respectively) of sprinting post-ISP. Moreover, players exhibited significantly larger mean contact angles (+24°), contact angle asymmetries (+4%), and glenohumeral flexion asymmetries (+10%) during the acceleration phase of sprinting post-ISP. Players displayed greater glenohumeral abduction range of motion (+17°) and asymmetries (+20%) during the maximal velocity phase of sprinting post-ISP. Players with SCI (SCI, n = 7) significantly increased asymmetries in peak power (+6%) and glenohumeral abduction (+15%) during the acceleration phase post-ISP. Our data indicates that despite inducing physiological fatigue resulting from WR match play, players can maintain sprint performance by modifying how they propel their wheelchair. Increased asymmetry post-ISP was notable, which may be specific to impairment type and warrants further investigation.

Data-Driven Smart Living Lab to Promote Participation in Rehabilitation Exercises and Sports Programs for People with Disabilities in Local Communities.

Patients discharged from hospitals after an inpatient course of medical treatment for any ailment or traumatic injury that results in disabling conditions and are rendered mobility impaired require ongoing systematic sports and exercise programs to maintain healthy lifestyles. Under such circumstances, a rehabilitation exercise and sports center, accessible throughout local communities, is critical for promoting beneficial living and community participation for these individuals with disabilities. An innovative data-driven system equipped with state-of-the-art smart and digital equipment, set up in architecturally barrier-free infrastructures, is essential for these individuals to promote health maintenance and overcome secondary medical complications following an acute inpatient hospitalization or suboptimal rehabilitation. A federally funded collaborative research and development (R&D) program proposes to build a multi-ministerial data-driven system of exercise programs using a smart digital living lab as a platform to provide pilot services in physical education and counseling with exercise and sports programs for this patient population. We describe the social and critical aspects of rehabilitating such a population of patients by presenting a full study protocol. A modified sub-dataset of the previously generated 280-item full dataset is applied using a data-collecting system-"The Elephant"-as an example of how data acquisition will be achieved to assess the effects of lifestyle rehabilitative exercise programs for people with disabilities.

Passive drag in Para swimmers with physical impairments: Implications for evidence-based classification in Para swimming.

The inherent hydrodynamic resistance force, or passive drag, of a swimmer directly influences how they move through the water. For swimmers with physical impairments, the strength of association between passive drag and swimming performance is unknown. Knowledge on this factor could improve the World Para Swimming classification process. This study established the relationship between passive drag and 100 m freestyle race performance in Para swimmers with physical impairments. Using a cross-sectional study design, an electrical-mechanical towing device was used to measure passive drag force in 132 international-level Para swimmers. There was a strong, negative correlation between normalized passive drag force and 100 m freestyle race speed in the combined participant cohort (ρ = -0.77, p < 0.001). Type of physical impairment was found to affect the relationship between passive drag and 100 m freestyle race speed when included in linear regression (R2  = 0.65, χ2  = 11.5, p = 0.025). These findings contribute to the body of evidence that passive drag can provide an objective assessment of activity limitation in Para swimmers with physical impairments. The effect of physical impairment type on the relationship between passive drag and swimming performance should be accounted for in Para swimming classification.

Active Drag as a Criterion for Evidence-based Classification in Para Swimming.

INTRODUCTION: Paralympic classification should provide athletes with an equitable starting point for competition by minimizing the impact their impairment has on the outcome of the event. As swimming is an event conducted in water, the ability to overcome drag (active and passive) is an important performance determinant. It is plausible that the ability to do this is affected by the type and severity of the physical impairment, but the current World Para Swimming classification system does not objectively account for this component. The aim of this study was to quantify active and passive drag in Para swimmers and evaluate the strength of association between these measures and type of physical impairment, swimming performance, and sport class. METHODS: Seventy-two highly trained Para swimmers from sport classes S1 to S10 and 14 highly trained nondisabled swimmers were towed by a motorized winch while the towing force was recorded. Passive drag was measured with the arms held by the side; active drag was determined during freestyle swimming using an assisted towing method. RESULTS: Active and passive drag were higher in Para swimmers with central motor and neuromuscular impairments than for nondisabled swimmers and were associated with severity of swim-specific impairment (sport class) and maximal freestyle performance in these swimmers (r = -0.40 to -0.50, P ≤ 0.02). Para swimmers with anthropometric impairments showed similar active and passive drag to nondisabled swimmers, and between swimmers from different sport classes. CONCLUSIONS: Para swimmers with central motor and neuromuscular impairments are predisposed to high active drag during freestyle swimming that impacts on their performance. It is recommended that drag measures be considered in revised classification for these swimmers, but not for those with anthropometric impairments.

London 2012 Paralympic swimming: passive drag and the classification system.

BACKGROUND: The key difference between the Olympic and Paralympic Games is the use of classification systems within Paralympic sports to provide a fair competition for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. In 2009, the International Paralympic Committee mandated the development of new, evidence-based classification systems. This study aims to assess objectively the swimming classification system by determining the relationship between passive drag and level of swimming-specific impairment, as defined by the current swimming class. METHODS: Data were collected on participants at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The passive drag force of 113 swimmers (classes 3-14) was measured using an electro-mechanical towing device and load cell. Swimmers were towed on the surface of a swimming pool at 1.5 m/s while holding their most streamlined position. RESULTS: Passive drag ranged from 24.9 to 82.8 N; the normalised drag (drag/mass) ranged from 0.45 to 1.86 N/kg. Significant negative associations were found between drag and the swimming class (τ = -0.41, p < 0.01) and normalised drag and the swimming class (τ = -0.60, p < 0.01). The mean difference in drag between adjacent classes was inconsistent, ranging from 0 N (6 vs 7) to 11.9 N (5 vs 6). Reciprocal Ponderal Index (a measure of slenderness) correlated moderately with normalised drag (r(P) = -0.40, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although swimmers with the lowest swimming class experienced the highest passive drag and vice versa, the inconsistent difference in mean passive drag between adjacent classes indicates that the current classification system does not always differentiate clearly between swimming groups.