Biomechanics in Paralympics: Implications for Performance

Abstract

Methods 77With the intention to obtain all papers reporting on biomechanics in Paralympic sports and 78Paralympic athletes, the key words "Paralympic Biomechanics", "Paralympic Sport 79Performance", "Paralympic Athlete Performance" and "Paralympic Athlete" were entered 80into PubMed (July 2016). All studies on biomechanics in Paralympic and World Class 81 athletes were included, including case-studies. Interviews, editorials, reviews, studies not 82 available online and studies not in English were excluded (Figure 1). 83Insert figure 1 about here 84 85 Results 86Twenty articles were identified using the keywords "Paralympic Biomechanics", 124 using 87 the keywords "Paralympic Sport Performance", 110 using the keywords "Paralympic Athlete 88Performance", and 220 using the keywords "Paralympic Athlete". After applying the 89 exclusion criteria, eleven, 2-12 ten, 13-22 one, 23 and seven 24-30 articles were selected respectively. 90Based on the authors' knowledge, five more studies were included, 31-35 on biomechanics in 91Paralympic athletes. In total, 34 studies were included (Tables 1-3). One case-study 36 was 92 selected using the keywords "Paralympic Biomechanics" and two 37-38 using the keywords 93"Paralympic Sport Performance" (Table 4). Based on the authors' knowledge, four more case-94 studies were included (Table 4). 39-42 95Biomechanical studies in Paralympic athletes (non case-studies) mainly contributed to 96 performance enhancement by technical optimization (n=32) [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][30][31][32][33][34][35] and injury prevention 97 (n=6) ( Tables 1-3). 3,14,22,24,25,29 Also, biomechanics were important in evidence-based 98 classification in Paralympic sports (n=6; some studies addressed more than one of these 99 points) (Tables 1-3). 5,6,10,11,17,32 In the current review, sports were subdivided into three main 100 groups based on Bernardi et al. 43: sitting, standing, and visually-impaired athletes. However, 101no studies specifically on visually impaired athletes and biomechanics were found. Instead, 102several studies on biomechanics and swimming were included, and we defined swimming as a 103 third group, replacing the group of visually-impaired athletes. 104Studies on biomechanics in Paralympic summer (n=29, 85% of the included studies) 105and winter sports (n=5, 15% of the included studies), the number of participants, type of 106 sport, type of impairment, test used, and main outcome are presented (Tables 1-3). Thirteen 107 studies (38% of the included studies) [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]17,23,27,[30][31][32] were performed during the Paralympic 108Games or World Championships, whereas the remaining twenty-one studies (62% of the 109 included studies) were performed in a laboratory setting studying Paralympic athletes. 2-4,12-110 16,18-22,24-26,28,29,33-35 Furthermore, 41% (n=14) of the studies were performed on sitting sports, 11138% on standing sports (n=13), and 21% (n=7) on swimming. 135Handcycling could successfu...

Kinematic, Coordinative and Efficiency Parameters of Physically Impaired Swimmers at Maximum Aerobic Power Speed

“…Biomechanical studies seek to characterise the motor pattern and then improve efficiency in the execution of the movements [4]. In the case of swimmers with physical impairments, biomechanical analyses can contribute, for exam-ple, to understanding how different disabilities impact activity and sports performance [5,6]. Considering the variability of physical disabilities and their effects on motor actions found during swimming, assessment of kinematic, coordinative and propelling efficiency could help clarify the possible impacts of physical disability on performance in adapted swimming.…”

“…Among the biomechanical parameters related to performance, (i) kinematics (such as stroke rate -SR, stroke length -SL, swimming speed -SS, and intra-cyclic velocity variation IVV, in its positive and negative accelerations); (ii) coordination (such as arm stroke phase duration and inter-arm coordination); and (iii) propelling efficiency (ηp) are extensively studied in conventional swimming [17 -20]. However, among Paralympic swimmers, studies regarding these parameters are scarce [5,21].…”

“…Some studies have contributed to understanding biomechanical performance parameters in swimmers with physical disabilities [5,21]. In this context, the studies have been dedicated to measurements of biomechanical parameters in competitive events or in short-distance protocols, both analysing mainly SS, SL and SR parameters, but just in twodimensional (2D) kinematic analyses [7].…”

A biomechanical comparison of initial sprint acceleration performance and technique in an elite athlete with cerebral palsy and able-bodied sprinters

“…However, children with CP have been shown to increase running velocity by increasing step frequency (Davids, Bagley, & Bryan, 1998;Iosa, Morelli, Marro, Paolucci, & Fusco, 2013), and to depend more on proximal hip musculature for power generation as velocity increases (Davids et al, 1998). Whilst these findings can be used to help inform the Paralympic classification system (Beckman, Connick, & Tweedy, 2016;Connick, Beckman, Spathis, Deuble, & Tweedy, 2015), very little is known about the mechanisms that directly limit sprint performance in Paralympic CP athletes compared to their able-bodied (AB) counterparts, particularly regarding the kinetic underpinnings of performance (Morriën, Taylor, & Hettinga, 2017).…”

Kinematic bidimensional analysis of the propulsion technique in wheelchair rugby athletes

“…6 Biomechanical research is considered a very important contribute to performance and athlete wellbeing as it gains insight in technical optimization, injury prevention and classification in Paralympic sports. 7 Many researchers have studied the biomechanical factors and underlying musculature involved during standard wheelchair propulsion, 8 whereas the propulsion technique used during sports such as wheelchair rugby is still being investigated. We here report preliminary results of a project conducted by an interdisciplinary research team of professionals which included doctors, physiotherapists, engineers, psychologists and physical education students.…”