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Optimising classification of proximal arm strength impairment in wheelchair rugby: a proof of concept study
journal contribution
posted on 2021-01-28, 14:22 authored by Barry Mason, Viola Altmann-Van-Der-Donk, Michael Hutchinson, Nicola Petrone, Francesco Bettella, Vicky Goosey-TolfreyVicky Goosey-TolfreyThis study examined the relationship between proximal arm strength and mobility performance in wheelchair rugby (WR) athletes and examined whether a valid structure for classifying arm strength impairment could be determined. Fifty-seven trained WR athletes with strength impaired arms and no trunk function performed six upper body isometric strength tests and three 10 m sprints in their rugby wheelchair. All strength measures correlated with 2 m and 10 m sprint times (r ≥ -0.43; p ≤ 0.0005) and were entered into k-means cluster analyses with 4-clusters (to mirror the current International Wheelchair Rugby Federation [IWRF] system) and 3-clusters. The 3-cluster structure provided a more valid structure than both the 4-cluster and existing IWRF system, as evidenced by clearer differences in strength (Effect sizes [ES] ≥ 1.0) and performance (ES ≥ 1.1) between adjacent clusters and stronger mean silhouette coefficient (0.64). Subsequently, the 3-cluster structure for classifying proximal arm strength impairment would result in less overlap between athletes from adjacent classes and reduce the likelihood of athletes being disadvantaged due to their impairment. This study demonstrated that the current battery of isometric strength tests and cluster analyses could facilitate the evidence-based development of classifying proximal arm strength impairment in WR.
Funding
International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
History
School
- Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Published in
Journal of Sports SciencesVolume
39Issue
sup1Pages
132-139Publisher
Taylor & FrancisVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Rights holder
© Taylor & FrancisPublisher statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Sports Sciences on 4 Feb 2021, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02640414.2021.1883291.Acceptance date
2021-01-27Publication date
2021-02-04Copyright date
2021ISSN
0264-0414eISSN
1466-447XPublisher version
Language
- en
Depositor
Dr Barry Mason. Deposit date: 27 January 2021Usage metrics
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