Physiological Considerations to Support Podium Performance in Para-Athletes.
Cameron M Gee, Melissa A Lacroix, Trent Stellingwerff and 3 others
PMID 36188768WHAT IT FOUND
Para-athlete physiology varies by impairment, so able-bodied sports protocols may not transfer.
Practitioners should individualize monitoring, cooling, breathing support, and energy availability rather than assume standard training works.
Key findings
01The review reports that athletes with spinal cord injury can have reduced peak heart rate, impaired sweating, and altered blood pressure responses to exercise, depending on lesion level.
02The review describes respiratory muscle training, abdominal binding, and heat acclimation as possible para-sport interventions, but says evidence is limited and many protocols are not established across impairment groups.
03The review says energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport assessment in para-athletes is difficult because tools and normative data have not been validated for impairment groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or trial, so it does not establish whether an intervention works. Many statements are based on small, heterogeneous para-athlete samples or extrapolation from able-bodied research. The review omits visual and intellectual impairments from physiological detail, so it does not cover all para-athlete groups. Energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport assessment tools are described as not validated in para-athletes. The practical tables are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
Declared interests
Funding from Own the Podium supported authors in writing the manuscript. The authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could be a conflict of interest. A reviewer disclosed past co-authorship with an author.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the tables as proof that respiratory muscle training, abdominal binding, heat acclimation, or altitude training improve para-athlete performance. The review says the evidence is limited, heterogeneous, and often based on able-bodied athletes, so these are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.