The Application of Medical Imaging on Disabled Athletes in Winter Paralympic Games: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose: the purpose of this study was to summarize the application and effects of current medical imaging in sports for the disabled, to provide a feasible reference for future imaging medical services and biomechanical modeling for winter Paralympic athletes. Methods: An electronic search was conducted among Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases, using the following keywords, “Disability,” “Winter Olympics” and “Medical Imaging.” Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen all identified studies. Of the 374 identified studies, 10 studies were included. Results: Most studies have reported on the application of medical imaging technology in the diagnosis of disability (n =6) and only a few have focused on biomechanical modeling (n = 3) and disability classification (n = 1). However, only 3 studies were involved in winter Paralympic athletes. The results of this study indicate that medical imaging technology can effectively diagnose and prevent the occurrence of injuries in disabled athletes. Conclusion: It is important to use medical imaging to understand the injury mechanism of winter Paralympics athletes and to develop injury prevention strategies. However, only a few studies have focused on the application of medical imaging technology to the winter Paralympic. The results of this study can provide a feasible reference for the medical treatment and training of athletes in the Winter Paralympic Games.