Static and Dynamic Strength Indicators in Paralympic Power-Lifters with and without Spinal Cord Injury

• Main Authors: Luan José Lopes Teles, Felipe J. Aidar, Dihogo Gama de Matos, Anderson Carlos Marçal, Paulo Francisco de Almeida-Neto, Eduardo Borba Neves, Osvaldo Costa Moreira, Frederico Ribeiro Neto, Nuno Domingos Garrido, José Vilaça-Alves, Alfonso López Díaz-de-Durana, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Ian Jeffreys, Breno Guilherme de Araújo Tinoco Cabral, Victor Machado Reis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: spinal cord injury; para-athletes; muscle strength; disabled persons; athletic performance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/5907

Background: In Paralympic powerlifting (PP), athletes with and without spinal cord injury (SCI) compete in the same category. Athletes with SCI may be at a disadvantage in relation to the production of muscle strength and the execution of motor techniques. Objective: To analyze the indicators force, dynamic and static, at different intensities, on performance in athletes with and without SCI. Methods: The sample was composed of two groups of PP athletes: SCI (30.57 ± 4.20 years) and other deficiencies (OD; 25.67 ± 4.52 years). Athletes performed a test of maximum isometric force (MIF), time to MIF (Time), rate of force development (RFD), impulse, variability and fatigue index (FI), dynamic tests Mean Propulsive Velocity (MPV), Maximum Velocity (Vmax) and Power. Results: There were differences in the SCI in relation to OD, 50% 1RM (<i>p</i> < 0.05), in relation to MPV and Vmax. There were no differences in the static force indicators. Regarding EMG, there were differences between the SCI triceps in relation to the previous deltoid (<i>p</i> = 0.012). Conclusion: We concluded that the static and dynamic strength indicators are similar in Paralympic powerlifting athletes with spinal cord injury and other disabilities.