Humans; Europe; Cross-Sectional Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Male; Female; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine/methods; Sports for Persons with Disabilities; Sports; Persons with Disabilities/rehabilitation; Health promotion; Physical; Physical activity; rehabilitation medicine; Persons with Disabilities; Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine; Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation
Abstract :
[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) units promote health and autonomy. One way to achieve this is through physical activity (PA), yet research shows that individuals with physical impairments are not physically active. One way to motivate them is through adaptive sports (also named para sports), as this allows for a more enjoyable experience. Yet, it is unknown whether such activities are offered in PRM across Europe. The Special Interest Scientific Committees "Sports Affairs" of the European Society of PRM set out to fill this gap of knowledge.
AIM: To explore the use of adaptive sports within PRM units in European countries, to collect information on these practices, and to identify any barriers limiting the development of this offer. To investigate how PRM health care professionals view and promote adaptive sports to their patients.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.
SETTING: European PRM units.
POPULATION: PRM health care professionals.
METHODS: An online questionnaire was developed and disseminated across Europe. Healthcare professionals working in PRM were invited to respond anonymously. Their views on adaptive sports, as well as the actions they undertook to promote it, were scored, and statistical analyses were performed on these scores.
RESULTS: A total of 190 health care professionals, from 31 different European countries, participated. Only 8 of the 31 countries seem to have adopted adaptive sports as a tool in PRM. The main barrier which limited the development of this across Europe was lack of infrastructure. Yet, the majority of health care professionals acknowledge that their patients would largely benefit from such activities.
CONCLUSIONS: The offer of adaptive sports in European PRM is poor. Such activities are not systematically presented to patients with physical impairments. There is a need to improve the situation through structural and legislative changes on one end, but also by providing PRM professionals with adequate tools, resources and networks.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: By identifying barriers which limit the use of adaptive sports as a therapeutic tool, this study suggests several strategies to develop this in the European field of PRM, as it may be a way to enhance its effectiveness.
Disciplines :
Orthopedics, rehabilitation & sports medicine
Author, co-author :
Declerck, Louise; Neuromusculoskeletal Laboratory, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium - louise.declerck@uclouvain.be
Hornacek, Karol; Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia ; Special Interest Scientific Committees Sports Affairs, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Juocevicius, Alvydas; Special Interest Scientific Committees Sports Affairs, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia ; Klaipeda University, Klaipeda University Hospital, Klaipeda, Lithuania
Sgantzos, Markos; Special Interest Scientific Committees Sports Affairs, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia ; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
Stoquart, Gaëtan; Neuromusculoskeletal Laboratory, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium ; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Saint-Luc University Clinic, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
Christodoulou, Nicolas; Special Interest Scientific Committees Sports Affairs, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia ; Medical School, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
Kaux, Jean-François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des Sciences de l'activité physique et de la réadaptation > Médecine physique, réadaptation et traumatologie du sport ; Special Interest Scientific Committees Sports Affairs, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Language :
English
Title :
Adaptive sports in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine across Europe: the forgotten therapeutic ally.
Publication date :
April 2025
Journal title :
European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
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