Injuries in the Wheelchair Athlete

Upper-limb overuse, above all at the shoulder, is the dominant injury problem in wheelchair athletes, because the arms take on propulsion, transfers and daily mobility.

Wheelchair sport spans basketball, rugby, tennis, racing and more, and the athlete may use a chair because of a spinal cord injury, an amputation or another condition. The sport and exercise medicine (SEM) clinician recognises overuse injuries and nerve entrapments early, addresses the propulsion technique and wheelchair set-up behind them, and manages hand, skin and contact injuries. The same limbs are needed for independence, so protecting them matters beyond performance.