Personalized Tests in Paralympic Athletes: Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance Profile of Elite Wheelchair Rugby Players.

Giuseppe Marcolin,Michael Benazzato,Stefano Masiero,Antonio Paoli,Livio Corain,Francesco Bettella,Angela Gottardi,Luigi Salmaso,Alfredo Musumeci,Nicola Petrone

doi:10.3390/jpm10030118

Giuseppe Marcolin, Michael Benazzato + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm10030118

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Abstract

In Paralympic sports, the goal of functional classifications is to minimize the impact of impairment on the outcome of the competition. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate aerobic and anaerobic personalized tests in Paralympic athletes and to correlate them with the classification of the international wheelchair rugby federation (IWRF). Sixteen elite players of the Italian wheelchair rugby team volunteered for the study. Aerobic (incremental test to exhaustion) and anaerobic (Wingate 30s all-out test, 5 and 10-meter sprint test, shuttle test, isometric test) sport-performance measurements were correlated singularly or grouped (Z scores) with the classification point. Moreover, a multivariate permutation-based ranking analysis investigated possible differences in the overall level of performance among the adjacent classified groups of players, considering the scores of each test. A statistically significant correlation between the performance parameters and the IWRF functional classification considering both aerobic and anaerobic personalized tests was detected (0.58 ≤ r ≤ 0.88; 0.0260 ≤ p ≤ 0.0001). The multivariate permutation-based ranking analysis showed differences only for the low-pointers versus mid-pointers (p = 0.0195) and high-pointers (p = 0.0075). Although single performance parameters correlated with athletes’ classification point, results of the multivariate permutation-based ranking analysis seem to suggest considering only the most significant anaerobic and sport-specific performance parameters among athletes. These should be combined with the physical assessment and the qualitative observation, which are already part of the classification process to improve its effectiveness.

Highlights

Wheelchair rugby is a Paralympic team sport played on an indoor court, measuring 15 m in width and 28 m in length, where contacts among wheelchairs are part of the game [1]
In the incremental test to voluntary exhaustion the international wheelchair rugby federation (IWRF) classification correlated with the VO2 peak (r = 0.58; p = 0.0171; 95% C.I. = 0.11 to 0.84), the VE peak (r = 0.62; p = 0.0106; 95% C.I. = 0.16 to 0.86) and the peak power output (r = 0.79; p = 0.0003; 95% C.I. = 0.47 to 0.93)
The main results of the present study showed statistically significant moderate to strong correlations between the performance parameters collected in the personalized tests and the IWRF classification

Summary

Introduction

Wheelchair rugby is a Paralympic team sport played on an indoor court, measuring 15 m in width and 28 m in length, where contacts among wheelchairs are part of the game [1]. Athletes use their chairs to hold and block their opponents. The structure of the match determines the physical demand typical of this sport, which includes a repetition of short and intense exercises during the entire match [2] superimposed on a background of aerobic activity [3]. To be eligible to play wheelchair rugby, each athlete must have a disability that affects arms and legs. Most athletes present spinal lesions with full or partial paralysis, but other neurological health disorders are included among players (e.g., cerebral palsy, polio, muscular dystrophy, etc.) [1]

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