Sports - Related Concussion Injuries / Disabilities in Paralympics

The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of the Paralympic athletic movement, which aims to provide inclusive sporting opportunities for people with disabilities. However, there is a high potential for injury or disease while engaging in sports. Paralympic competitors have disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, blindness, intellectual disability, and a variety of other physical impairments that do not fit into the other classification groups, together referred to as les autre. Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs), such as concussions, are also quite prevalent among Paralympics athletes. There are significant implications for risk management in a Paralympics athlete where risk factors are common, given the decreased physical fitness of athletes with impairments. In this review, we will discuss sports-related injuries (concussions) in the Paralympics as well as how concussions happened in different para-sports, for specific evaluation of para-athletes, their risk factor, and the prevention of injuries.