A review of adaptive sport opportunities for power wheelchair users.
Jonathan Duvall, Shantanu Satpute, Rosemarie Cooper and 1 others
PMID 32427531WHAT IT FOUND
Power wheelchair users face limited competitive sport options, with most existing activities requiring stationary wheelchairs.
Only power soccer, hockey, and obstacle courses demand movement, necessitating custom equipment that is often too expensive or complex for widespread adoption.
Key findings
01Most adaptive sports for power wheelchair users are stationary activities like archery or boccia, meaning they do not require specialized wheelchairs.
02Only power soccer, power hockey, and obstacle course activities require the wheelchair to move, which creates a need for specific, often custom, equipment.
03High costs and technical complexity of powered equipment severely limit participation in emerging sports like the Cybathlon.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review, so the search strategy may not have captured all relevant literature. The review relies heavily on information from major competitions and a limited number of published articles, which may not reflect local or community-based opportunities. No quantitative data on patient outcomes or participation rates were analyzed, so the clinical impact of these sports cannot be measured from this paper.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The contents of the paper do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that adaptive sports are inaccessible to power wheelchair users. The review finds that many sports are available, but they are predominantly stationary activities. The scarcity of options applies specifically to sports where the wheelchair must move, such as soccer or hockey, which require custom equipment.