Adaptive Sports in Spinal Cord Injury: a Systematic Review

Adaptive sports (AdS), sports modified or created to accommodate persons with disabilities, have been gaining popularity over the last decade. The benefits of exercise in the able-bodied population are well-established. Literature in adaptive sport and the para-athlete continues to improve but is not yet as comprehensive as their able-bodied peers, in part due to the heterogeneity of participants. In this review, we appraise the recent literature pertaining to AdS and identify developing areas within the field.

AdS have been shown to have positive health benefits as well as positive psychosocial benefits. Para-athletes often must overcome a variety of barriers to participation, such as transportation, accessibility, and socioeconomic factors. Facilitators to participation have also been identified, including pre-injury interest in sports, male sex, younger age, and more. In addition to well-known sports like handcycling and wheelchair basketball, adaptive sport continues to evolve, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now including virtual options and E-sports. Para-athletes are also being more closely monitored and evaluated pre, peri, and post competition for injury and injury prevention, including in the realm of concussion management, requiring healthcare professionals, coaches, players, and all to gain further knowledge in adaptive sport and the participating para-athletes.

The physical, psychological, and social benefits of adaptive sports for individuals with disabilities are numerous. Addressing barriers to participation, including novel forms of AdS that utilize innovative technology, may allow more individuals to benefit from AdS.