From Disability to Inclusion: The Impact of Sports on Quality of Life in Participants with Physical Disabilities (Paraplegia)

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between sports participation and quality of life among individuals with paraplegia (N=30). Participants with injury levels T5-L5 were divided into trained (n=15) and untrained (n=15) groups. Quality of life was assessed using the validated Arabic Short Form-36 (SF-36), while functional independence was measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Statistical analysis revealed significantly higher scores across all SF-36 dimensions in the trained group (M=93.77, SD=2.76) compared to the untrained group (M=42.24, SD=15.53; p<0.001). Strong positive correlations were observed between Mental Health and Cognitive Performance components (r=0.959, p<0.001) and between total SF-36 and FIM scores (r=0.840, p<0.001). These findings suggest that regular sports participation may enhance both quality of life and functional independence in individuals with paraplegia.