Para Surfing Performance in Athletes With Lower Limb Amputations - A Cross-Sectional Study

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<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To investigate para surfing performance in athletes with above knee amputations compared to below knee amputations. To investigate prior para surfing experiences with performance in athletes with lower limb amputations. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional comparative study design. <h3>Setting</h3> Data collected from archived classification records and archived certified judged wave scores from two international Para Surfing competitions. <h3>Participants</h3> Twenty (2 female and 18 male) international Para Surfers with amputations (n=6 AKA and n=14 BKA). <h3>Interventions</h3> Data from classification records was reviewed for athletes classified with the eligible impairment of limb deficiency with an AKA or BKA and judged waves scores. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> The residual limb of all athletes with amputations was measured in centimeters and described by percentage length of the residual limb compared to sound limb. The following information was retrieved classification forms: gender, age, diagnosis, lower extremity limb measurements, and surf history. <h3>Results</h3> No significant difference of demographics between the groups except for the percentage of remaining leg length with athletes with AKA compared to athletes with BKA. There were significant differences in the surfing scores between the groups. The significant difference persists even after performing the analysis using the percentage of the remaining leg length as a covariate (AKA versus BKA total score at 2019) F(1,9)= 8.10, p=.019; score at 2020 F (1,10) =7.73, p=.019). Subgroup analysis on surfers with AKA who performed in kneeling (n=3) and standing (n=3) did not have any significant differences in the surfing scores (2019 Score U=2.0; p=.564. 2020 score U=1.0; p=.248). No significant correlation between the duration of adaptive surfing experience or duration of competing with any surfing performance scores. results accepted primary hypothesis and rejected secondary hypothesis. <h3>Conclusions</h3> AKA performed better than athletes with BKA in Para Surfing. Results may provide beneficial evidence to contribute to the newly designed Para Surfing classification system. Understanding how different levels of amputations are limiting sports performance is fundamental for evidence-based classification. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> Primary author is Director of Para Surfing Classification, Second author is a para surfing classifier.