The injury experience and training history of the competitive skier with a disability

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the training history and injury experience of the competitive skier with a disability. A retrospective survey was administered to 68 athletes who participated in the National Handicapped Sports and the United States Association for Blind Athletes Winter National Games held in March 1989. The frequency, length, and specific components of the practice session were obtained. The definition of injury was any trauma to the participant that occurred during any practice, training, or competitive session that resulted in the cessation, limitation, or modification of the athlete's participation for at least 24 hours. The athletes practiced aerobic, anaerobic, and strength training activities two times a week or less. Upper extremities were injured 1.4 times more often than the lower extremities. The number of chronic injuries was greater than the number of acute injuries for both the upper and lower extremity. The thigh and knee were involved in 30% of the acute injuries, followed by the shoulder (25%), and neck and spine (15%). For chronic injuries, the shoulder, thigh/knee complex, and arm and elbow accounted for 73.3% of the total injuries reported. The skier with a disability incurred approximately the same proportion of injuries as the skier without a disability. Conditioning programs should be developed to emphasize both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems to reduce the number of injuries.