Relationship of sport classification and gender to injury for the athlete with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of both sport classification and gender to injury in the athlete with cerebral palsy (CP). Of 217 participants, 54 (25%) reported an injury episode. A relationship between both gender and sport classification to injury (p = 0.001) was discovered. For the nonambulatory, a female was more likely than a male to have an injury, and for the ambulatory, a male was more likely than a female to have an injury. For the nonambulatory, a female had a greater number of injuries to the shoulder, hand/finger, and knee compared with the male. For the ambulatory, the male had a greater frequency of injury to the shoulder, knee, and leg/ankle region. Sport participation for the athlete with CP is largely an adult phenomenon (mean age, 24.23 years) with a late introduction to begin sports activity (mean age, 18 years). This may impede the development of sport skills and result in improper mechanics of movement that may lead to injury. An aggressive approach to the treatment and rehabilitation of an injury episode is warranted by all medical professionals.

Department

Kinesiology

Publication Date

1994

Journal Title

Sports Medicine, Training and Rehabilitation

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1080/15438629409512007

Document Type

Article

Rights

Copyright © 1994 Taylor & Francis

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