Question 1

Is para sport classification based on the diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

No. Classification is based on the impact of an eligible impairment on the activities of a specific sport. The athlete needs an underlying health condition leading to one of 7 eligible impairments (10 in the 2015 Code, before hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis were grouped as coordination impairments and leg length difference joined limb deficiency) that meets the sport's minimum impairment criteria, and the sport class then reflects the extent of activity limitation.

Question 2

Why are heart-rate targets unreliable after a high spinal cord injury?

Accepted Answer

Disrupted sympathetic outflow blunts the heart rate response to exercise and limits peak heart rate in lesions down to T6. Testing and prescription are therefore judged against the athlete's own physiology rather than standard heart-rate targets.

Question 3

Why can a normal blood pressure reading be dangerous in tetraplegia?

Accepted Answer

Baseline systolic pressure in tetraplegia is often low, around 90 to 110 mmHg. Autonomic dysreflexia is defined by a rise of at least 20 mmHg above baseline, so a reading that looks normal can be a dangerous rise, especially with a pounding headache, flushing and sweating above the lesion.

Question 4

How should heat stroke be managed in an athlete with tetraplegia?

Accepted Answer

The principle is still cool first, transport second, but the athlete may not sweat, so suspect it early. Cold water immersion needs one-to-one airway monitoring, cervical support and protection of insensate skin. If immersion is unsafe, use aggressive alternative cooling such as rotating ice-water towels, ice slurry and cooling vests.

Classification, Physiology and Thermoregulation in Para Sport

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