| he purpose of this project was to describe the injury experience and the training history of the athlete with a disability. A cross-disability instrument was developed to measure the variables of interest. A retrospective survey was administered to 426 athletes who participated at the 1989 national games of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA), United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA), and the United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association (USCPAA). The definition of injury was any trauma to the participant that occurred during any practice, training, or competition session that caused the athlete to stop, limit, or modify participation for one day or more. The frequency, length, and specific components of a practice session were also obtained. Thirty-two percent of the respondents reported at least one injury. Chronic injuries (55%) were slightly more prevalent than acute injuries (45%). The upper and lower extremity accounted for 87% of all of the reported injuries. The athletes practiced an average of 3.17 weeks per month, 2.90 days per week, for 1-2 hours per practice session. Flexibility training was practiced 2.70 days per week, followed by aerobic training 1.94 days per week, strength training 1.73 days per week, and anaerobic training at 1.36 days per week. There was a significant difference in the training activity (p... |
