These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Body composition assessment in athletes with physical impairment who have been practicing a wheelchair sport regularly and for a prolonged period.
    Author: Cavedon V, Zancanaro C, Milanese C.
    Journal: Disabil Health J; 2020 Oct; 13(4):100933. PubMed ID: 32402793.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Today several important aspects related to the impact of long-term wheelchair sports on whole-body and regional body composition in athletes with a physical impairment are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed at investigating the impact of the long-term regular practice of wheelchair sports on body composition in male wheelchair athletes (WA) as compared with both non-athletic participants with a physical impairment and non-athletic able-bodied participants. METHODS: Nine WA were each matched pairwise by age, duration of injury and body mass index (BMI) with a participant with a physical impairment not engaged in any wheelchair sport (N-WA) and by age and BMI with an able-bodied (AB) participant. Whole-body and regional bone mineral content (BMC), fat-free soft tissue mass (FFSTM), fat mass (FM) and percentage FM (%FM) were assessed by means of Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. RESULTS: WA had significantly lower FM and %FM vs. N-WA at the whole-body level (P = 0.01 for both) and in the trunk region (P = 0.001 and P = <0.001, respectively). The only difference in body composition variables between WA and AB was found in the legs where WA had significantly higher FM (P = 0.014) along with lower BMC (P = 0.009) and FFSTM (P = 0.005) vs. AB in the legs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that the regular, long-term practice of wheelchair sport may be associated with beneficial body composition adaptations in athletes with a physical impairment at the whole-body and trunk level.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]