Page 14 - Summer 2020

TEAM PHYSICIAN’S CORNER
athletes. Health care professionals do Other stressors that Paralympic athletes cease competing. The impact of this
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agree that the assumption that there may experience include chronic pain from needs to be investigated further to help
is a relationship between physical and their underlying medical conditions, lack these athletes in their transition.
intellectual impairment and mental of sufficient adaptive sports facilities, and
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health symptoms is not correct and is logistic problems with travel to competition. Conclusions
discriminatory, but there are stressors that Another issue is that a large portion of these The Paralympics have significantly grown
our unique to the Paralympic population athletes had a significant trauma leading to and their popularity has soared over
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that have not been fully studied. their disability, but little research has been
One is the “Supercrip” phenomenon done to assess the extent of traumatization the past few decades. They have had a
in which people make the Paralympic symptoms in these athletes. tremendous impact on inclusion and
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athletes out to be superhuman for Finally, the mental health impact of acceptance of patients with disabilities
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overcoming their disabilities. This retirement from sport has not been fully in our society. With the increased
phenomenon can be very positive as studied in these athletes. Paralympic competitiveness, though, has come the
these athletes can inspire and serve as athletes’ sports careers are relatively increased risk of injury and illness. So, it is
role models, but there may also be some short as their careers do not start until important for sports medicine physicians
unintended negative consequences. after the onset of their disability. As a to understand conditions unique to these
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First of all, excessive reverence of these result, they are often adjusting to their medically complex athletes and develop
athletes could reinforce the notion that new disability and then subsequent prevention and treatment strategies.
people with disabilities are not expected retirement from their sport during the A multidisciplinary biopsychosocial
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to achieve. Next, the “Supercrip” same time period. Furthermore, often approach needs to be taken when caring
narrative may be internalized by the sports have helped Paralympic athletes for Paralympic athletes as there are inter-
athletes, making them feel that they have transition back to normal life after their relationships between injury and illness
to have extraordinary achievements to injuries and may have helped them avoid and psychosocial factors. Finally, more
be respected and accepted by others, discrimination based on their disability. research needs to be performed on the
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which could place a significant amount So, they could have potential problems mental health of these athletes, as this
of stress on the athletes to succeed. integrating back into society once they has been a grossly under-evaluated area.
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 12 SPORTS MEDICINE UPDATE | Summer 2020, Issue 3