Effects of wheelchair sports practice on body composition of people with spinal cord injury

Abstract The present study aimed to compare muscle mass and fat mass estimates between people with spinal cord injuries and their peers who participate in wheelchair sports. Thirty-six participants were divided into four groups: untrained paraplegics (UnP, N=7), wheelchair basketball players (WB, N=11), untrained quadriplegics (UnQ, N=8), and quadriplegic wheelchair rugby players (WR, N=10). Muscle mass and fat mass were assessed using anthropometric methods, measuring total muscle mass (MMTo, kg), leg muscle mass (MML, kg), trunk muscle mass (MMT, kg), arm muscle area (AMA, cm2), upper limb fat mass (ULFM, %), lower limb fat mass (LLF, %), axial fat mass (MAx, %), appendicular fat mass (MApp, %), and total fat percentage (%F). Regarding muscle mass, the UnP group exhibited higher values compared to the WB group (AMA: 85.60±19.53 vs. 78.81±23.10; MML: 13.16±0.72 vs. 12.26±1.06; MMT: 25.06±1.67 vs. 22.97±2.47; MMTo: 52.86±10.85 vs. 46.01±3.38). For fat mass, the UnP group showed higher %F, ULFM, LLF, and MApp compared to the WB group (21.38±5.55 vs. 16.66±3.57; 28.43±10.33 vs. 18.97±6.57; 27.68±3.88 vs. 25.64±4.81; and 43.47±4.58 vs. 38.78±5.19, respectively) and lower (MAx 44.45±5.38 vs. 49.00±4.05). Among quadriplegic participants, the UnQ group had lower muscle mass values compared to the WR group (AMA: 49.91±13.78 vs. 51.58±12.97; MML: 12.12±0.98 vs. 12.73±1.35; MMT: 22.63±2.29 vs. 24.07±3.16; MMTo: 45.55±3.14 vs. 47.52±4.33). Regarding fat mass, the UnQ group had higher %F, ULFM, LLF, and MApp compared to the WR group (22.60±7.68 vs. 18.51±6.53; 25.38±11.73 vs. 21.90±8.92; 30.13±6.78 vs. 23.57±4.27; and 44.56±6.02 vs. 38.30±4.34, respectively) and lower MAx (44.62±6.33 vs. 49.92±2.91). In conclusion, participating in wheelchair sports can lead to beneficial changes in body composition among people with spinal cord injuries.