Physique, range of motion, and gross muscle strength in hemiplegic para swimmers: a cross-sectional case series.
Keita Shimura, Keisuke Koizumi, Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa and 1 others
PMID 34776618WHAT IT FOUND
Hemiplegic swimmers showed significantly smaller arm circumference and restricted shoulder and ankle range of motion on their affected side compared to swimmers with vision impairment.
They also had reduced lower-limb strength on their unaffected side and poor streamlined posture.
Key findings
01Hemiplegic swimmers had significantly smaller upper and forearm circumferences on their paretic side compared to the non-dominant side of swimmers with vision impairment.
02Range of motion for shoulder flexion, external rotation, and ankle dorsiflexion was significantly restricted on the paretic limb of hemiplegic swimmers.
03Hemiplegic swimmers demonstrated significantly lower lower-limb strength on their dominant side and could not perform the test on their paretic side due to inadequate muscle strength.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only three hemiplegic swimmers, which is insufficient for generalizable conclusions or robust statistical analysis. The cross-sectional design means that changes in range of motion due to fatigue or training volume at the time of measurement were not accounted for. The control group consisted of swimmers with vision impairment rather than able-bodied swimmers, which may influence comparisons of physical characteristics.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these physical differences as evidence that a specific training intervention will improve performance or prevent injury. The study describes baseline characteristics in a very small sample and did not test any treatment.