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Youth Para and Adaptive Sports Medicine

  • Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (A Houtrow and M Fuentes, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review aims to provide an overview of sports medicine principles pertaining to youth Para athletes.

Recent Findings

While little research on youth Para athletics exists, recent elite Paralympic Games data confirms a higher rate of upper extremity injuries in wheelchair athletes and lower extremity injuries in ambulatory athletes, while showing a higher rate of acute injuries in the Winter Games and skin/soft-tissue injuries in Summer Games. These summer sport findings are consistent with historic youth Para sport data.

Summary

Clinicians caring for youth Para athletes should be aware of medical considerations for Para athletes with various medical conditions. While little research exists specifically on youth Para sport, we review pediatric rehabilitation medicine and sports medicine principles and data from the adult literature to help prepare clinicians caring for this population. Future research should focus on injury patterns and injury prevention in the youth Para sport population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Children’s Hospital of Chicago/McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Mary E. Dubon

  2. Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

    Mary E. Dubon

  3. Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Mary E. Dubon

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Mary E. Dubon, Craig Rovito & Cheri A. Blauwet

  5. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

    Craig Rovito & Cheri A. Blauwet

  6. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA

    D. Kiko Van Zandt

  7. Brigham and Women’s Hospital Orthopedic Sports Medicine Service, Boston, MA, USA

    Cheri A. Blauwet

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  1. Mary E. Dubon
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  2. Craig Rovito
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  3. D. Kiko Van Zandt
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  4. Cheri A. Blauwet
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary E. Dubon.

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Conflict of interest

Mary Dubon reports that her husband is employed by and has stock ownership in an orthopedic PACS company, Medstrat. D. Kiko Van Zandt reports that from 2004 to 2013, she served as an assistant swim coach for the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team. This included a number of travel trips to foreign countries for competitions including the Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, World Championships, and Para Pan Pacific Championship. Travel, lodging, and meals were provided by U.S. Paralympics. A small stipend was also paid for services rendered for each trip. Craig Rovito and Cheri Blauwet declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

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All reported studies/experiments with human or animal subjects performed by the authors have been previously published and complied with all applicable ethical standards (including the Helsinki declaration and its amendments, institutional/national research committee standards, and international/national/institutional guidelines).

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Dubon, M.E., Rovito, C., Van Zandt, D.K. et al. Youth Para and Adaptive Sports Medicine. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 7, 104–115 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-019-0210-8

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