Evaluación del rendimiento deportivo en rugby en silla de ruedas. Revisión sistemática exploratoria

El estudio tiene por objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática exploratoria estructurada basada en los resultados encontrados en torno a los términos Rugby en Silla de Ruedas, Rendimiento y Aceleración. Para llevar a cabo la búsqueda de los documentos, se emplearon las siguientes palabras clave: “Wheelchair Rugby”, “Performance” y “Acceleration”. Para ello, los documentos fueron buscados en diferentes bases de datos: Scopus, Web of Science y SPORTDiscus. Con el objetivo de centrar la búsqueda en relación con el objetivo de estudio, se establecieron una serie de criterios de inclusión: i) Mencionar al menos alguna de las características del rendimiento en rugby en silla de ruedas (mínimo 20 palabras), ii) Seleccionar documentos relacionados con el Rugby en Silla de Ruedas, iii) Estar disponibles a texto completo o con resumen, y iiii) Estar escrito en español, inglés o portugués. Siendo elegibles los artículos publicados hasta junio de 2021. En conclusión, los documentos sobre rendimiento en rugby en silla de ruedas abordan tópicos de investigación diferentes que reportan los principales factores de rendimiento en este deporte.

Correlation Between Physical Activity Level and Functional Status of Subjects with High Spinal Cord Injury

Background. Spinal cord injuries are one of the main causes of disability in Poland and in the world. Quadriparesis, limitations in activities of daily living, lack of full autonomy and psycho-social problems are consequences of cervical spinal cord injury. Due to the consequences, especially motor paralysis and sedentary lifestyle resulting from spinal injuries, much attention is drawn to physical activity in subjects with this type of injuries. Objective. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of regular physical activity on functional fitness and independent existence of subjects after high spinal cord injury.Methods. 80 subjects with transverse injury of cervical spinal cord were enrolled in the study. The study group included men aged 20-50, in which group 40 (50%) of the subjects were qualified to the physically active group – subjects doing wheelchair sport, and 40 (50%) of the subjects were qualified to the physically inactive group – subjects taking no physical activity. The physically active men were qualified on the basis of their participation in organised activities - wheelchair rugby. Minimum participation was 90 minutes a day twice a week. Subjects from the physically inactive group had a passive lifestyle and participated in no sports activities. Results. Highly significant differences were observed during the study between the physically active and inactive men with regard to the functionality status. The study subjects taking regular physical exercise had better results in all assessed activities. The biggest differences were observed in the field of toilet and dressing up. Conclusions. The study confirmed that regular physical activity is correlated with better fitness. The study also showed that the subjects playing wheelchair rugby are more independent, which results in their better functional status in everyday life.

The Relationship between Clinical Tests, Ultrasound Findings and Selected Field-Based Wheelchair Skills Tests in a Cohort of Quadriplegic Wheelchair Rugby Athletes: A Pilot Study

Manual wheelchair use may determine shoulder joint overload and rotator cuff injury. Chronic shoulder pathologies can also influence the propulsion ability of wheelchair athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI) during sport activities. However, the relationship between shoulder pathology and wheelchair performances has never been explored. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the correlation between shoulder pathologic findings with clinical tests and ultrasonography evaluation and the results of wheelchair performance tests. Nineteen quadriplegic wheelchair rugby players were evaluated to investigate the association between clinical and ultrasound shoulder pathologic findings and their correlation with the performance of field-based selected wheelchair skills tests (WSTs). The outcome measures were the International Wheelchair Rugby Classification Score, dominant and non-dominant Physical Examination Shoulder Score, and dominant and non-dominant Ultrasound Shoulder Pathology Rating Scale (USPRS). The WST was measured at the beginning and at one-year follow-up. A statistically significant correlation was found between the time since SCI and dominant USPRS (p < 0.005). The non-dominant USPRS was strongly related to WST at the beginning (p < 0.005) and the end of the study (p < 0.05). Data suggest that the severity of the non-dominant shoulder pathology detected on the ultrasound is related to lower performance on the WST. Chronic manual wheelchair use could be responsible for dominant SCI shoulder joint and rotator cuff muscle damage, while non-dominant USPRS could be related to performance on the WST.

Sleep Characteristics of Highly Trained Wheelchair Rugby Athletes With and Without a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury During the Competitive Season

Sleep behaviors although significantly relevant to exercise recovery are poorly characterized in Para-sport athletes. Therefore, the main aims of this study were to describe sleep quality and quantity of highly trained wheelchair rugby (WR) athletes during the competitive season, and to investigate whether impairment type or attending a training camp influenced sleep outcomes. Eighteen male WR athletes (mean ± SD; age: 30 ± 5 years) with cervical spinal cord injuries (n = 11) (CSCI) and without (n = 7) (NON-SCI) wore an activity monitor over a 16-day period to objectively quantify sleep parameters, while the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and nightly sleep diary entries were used as subjective means. A sub-sample of the athletes (n = 11) had their sleep monitored during a 3-night training camp to assess the impact of environmental change on sleep. Furthermore, as an additional exploratory measure core temperature was measured for a single night-time period using ingestible telemetry capsules. The athletes had total sleep times and sleep efficiency scores of 7.06 (1.30) h.min [median (interquartile range)] and 81 (9)%, respectively. Sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset were 13 (24) min and 1.11 (0.45) h.min, respectively. No significant differences were found in objective sleep variables between the impairment groups despite the CSCI group being significantly more likely to report a poorer night's sleep (p = 0.04). Furthermore, attending the training camp caused a significant reduction in total sleep time for both groups [Δ38 ± 33 min; (95% CI: 18–60 min) p &lt; 0.01]. This study highlights suboptimal sleep characteristics that are present in both CSCI and NON-SCI wheelchair athletes, as defined by the National Sleep Foundation. Although objective scores did not differ between groups, athletes with a CSCI rated their sleep worse. Furthermore, the disruption of sleep during training camp reflects an additional risk factor that is important to recognize for those working with wheelchair athletes.