Fit and healthy Paralympians—medical care guidelines for disabled athletes: a study of the injuries and illnesses incurred by the Polish Paralympic team in Beijing 2008 and London 2012

Gawroński, Wojciech; Sobiecka, Joanna; Malesza, Jacek

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092298

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…A separate study [18] describing injuries in 91 Polish Paralympians in Beijing (2008) and 100 in London (2012) reported an incidence rate of 29.8/1000 athlete‐days (95% CI 22.1‐37.6) in Beijing and only 15/1000 athlete‐days (95% CI 9.0‐21.0) in London. Three studies examining injury in elite Brazilian visually impaired athletes recorded longitudinal data during the period 2004‐2008 in 3 separate sports but sample size is small and limited to one nation [1,3].…”

Section: Who Is Affected By Injury?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Descriptive Epidemiology of Paralympic Sports Injuries

Webborn

Emery

2014

PM&R

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Paralympic sports have seen an exponential increase in participation since 16 patients took part in the first Stoke Mandeville Games on the opening day of the 1948 London Olympic Games. More than 4,000 athletes took part in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Few sporting events have seen such rapid evolution. This rapid pace of change also has meant challenges for understanding the injury risks of participation, not only because of the variety of sports, impairment types, the evolution of adapted equipment but also because of the inclusion of additional impairment types and development of new sports over time. Early studies were limited in scope but patterns of injuries are slowly emerging within Winter and Summer Paralympic sports. The IPC's London 2012 study is the largest to date with a prospective cohort study involving 49,910 athlete-days. The results identified large differences across sports and highlighted the need for longitudinal sport specific studies rather than solely games-time studies. This will require collaboration with international sports federations to examine injury patterns and risk factors for injury in this population to appropriately inform injury prevention strategies. Further studies will also need to address the impact of sporting participation, injury, and future health.

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Section: Who Is Affected By Injury?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Descriptive Epidemiology of Paralympic Sports Injuries

Webborn

Emery

2014

PM&R

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“…Observations of Gawroński et al (2013) also confirm the impact of physical examinations on decreasing the number of diseases and musculoskeletal injuries during the London PG compared to the Beijing PG as a result of the rigorous execution of PPE before the summer PG in 2010. The results regarding winter sports athletes show a similar trend, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Medical Care Before and During the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014

Gawroński

Sobiecka

2015

Journal of Human Kinetics

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Medical care in disabled sports is crucial both as prophylaxis and as ongoing medical intervention. The aim of this paper was to present changes in the quality of medical care over the consecutive Paralympic Games (PG). The study encompassed 31 paralympians: Turin (11), Vancouver (12), and Sochi (8) competing in cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, biathlon and snowboarding. The first, questionnaire-based, part of the study was conducted in Poland before the PG. The athletes assessed the quality of care provided by physicians, physiologists, dieticians, and physiotherapists, as well as their cooperation with the massage therapist and the psychologist. The other part of the study concerned the athletes’ health before leaving for the PG, as well as their diseases and injuries during the PG. The quality of medical care was poor before the 2006 PG, but satisfactory before the subsequent PG. Only few athletes made use of psychological support, assessing it as poor before the 2006 PG and satisfactory before the 2010 and 2014 PG. The athletes’ health condition was good during all PG. The health status of cross-country skiers was confirmed by a medical fitness certificate before all PG, while that of alpine skiers only before the 2014 PG. There were no serious diseases; training injuries precluded two athletes from participation. The quality of medical care before the PG was poor, however, became satisfactory during the actual PG. The resulting ad hoc pattern deviates from the accepted standards in medical care in disabled sports.

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“…This was probably due to the implementation in the Polish national team, in the form of enforcing before the Games, preventive multispecialist examinations in the field of sports medicine. Such a procedure was recognized not only by the Paralympic Games, but also proved to be effective in reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses during the Paralympic Games [18]. Therefore, it may be suggested that similar medical measures should be introduced at a club level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Blauwet and Iezzoni, Wedgwood and Calvente Rejón [11,16,17] emphasised the need for understanding and acceptance of sport for people with disabilities, especially in the environment of athletes with disabilities. Gawroński et al and Simon and Ward highlighted the importance of care and specialized medical staff in the process of training of athletes with disabilities [18,19]. Furthermore, diagnosis of injuries, including those dangerous to health, and appropriate treatment to ensure the return to sport are also essential [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polish Paralympic Sports in the Opinion of Athletes and Coaches in Retrospective Studies

Sobiecka

Plinta

Kądziołka

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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The study aimed to identify the limitations observed in Polish Paralympic sport depending on the environment in which athletes train on a daily basis. The study included 581 persons divided into two basic groups. The first group consists of athletes (n = 324) and coaches (n = 88) appointed to the national team by associations and unions providing sports training exclusively for athletes with disabilities. The second group consisted of athletes with disabilities (n = 146) and their coaches (n = 23), who work in national sports associations working for both able-bodied and disabled people. The study used the diagnostic survey method with a questionnaire developed by Sobiecka. The difficulties indicated by the respondents referred to various aspects related to the activity in professional sport. Particularly emphasised difficulties were related to organizational and financial limitations as well as the management and coaching staff. At the same time, it was demonstrated that the environment was a differentiating factor between the studied groups of athletes and coaches.

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Fit and healthy Paralympians—medical care guidelines for disabled athletes: a study of the injuries and illnesses incurred by the Polish Paralympic team in Beijing 2008 and London 2012

Abstract: In both PGs, illnesses were more frequent than injuries. RTIs presented a serious problem. Some groups of disabled athletes are at an increased risk of injury/illness. The more stringent medical care guidelines before London may have caused staggeringly better results.

Cited by 31 publications

References 46 publications

Descriptive Epidemiology of Paralympic Sports Injuries

Descriptive Epidemiology of Paralympic Sports Injuries

Medical Care Before and During the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014

Polish Paralympic Sports in the Opinion of Athletes and Coaches in Retrospective Studies

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