Characteristics of Muscle Work in Track and Field Athletes with Intellectual Disability, Hearing Impairment and Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

In persons with disabilities, the underlying impairment affects the functioning of other organs and systems. Special attention is drawn to athletes of adaptive sports, in particular, the main impairment influence to the work of the musculoskeletal system, and, accordingly, the sports result. Is it possible to correct and change training programs, knowing the peculiarities of muscles work of various nosological groups athletes. Aim. To analyze the work of the musculoskeletal system in athletes with intellectual disability, hearing impairment and cerebral palsy. Material and methods. The study was carried out on the multifunctional simulator Humac Norm on the basis of the State Autonomous Institution “Sports Adaptive School”of the Sverdlovsk region. It was attended by 21 athletes aged from 16 to 22 years: with intellectual impairment of the slight mental retardation degree (n = 7: 1 m., 6 days), with infantile cerebral palsy in the form of spastic hemiparesis (n = 7: 4 m., 3 days), athletes with hearing impairment (n = 10: 7 m., 3 days) with congenital deafness (n = 3) and 3-4 degree hearing loss (n = 7). the athletes underwent testing of the lower extremities muscles, in particular, the muscles of the anterior and posterior thigh surfaces; internal and external lower leg muscles in concentric (overcoming) and eccentric (yielding) modes of muscle work. The muscles of the anterior and posterior thighs were tested in the sitting position at angular velocity of 45 degrees/s on a simulator. The internal and external muscles of the lower leg were tested in the reclining position with a fixed knee joint, at the angular velocity on the simulator of 30 degrees/s. The result was evaluated 15 times for performing a given movement in concentric and eccentric modes and the average values of the general muscle working capacity were revealed. Results. When analyzing the results, it was revealed that athletes with cerebral palsy and hearing impairment have interaction in muscle work. Thus, the weakness of the front thigh part muscles corresponds to or entails the weakness of the lower leg external muscles. Hypotension of the posterior thigh surface muscles entails (or is a consequence of) weakness of the lower leg internal muscles. In athletes with intellectual disabilities, there is no clear interaction in muscle work. In different athletes, asymmetry is detected in completely different indicators, which may be associated with incomplete understanding of the attitudes to test performance or with the overlap syndrome presence. Conclusion. The athletes’ testing revealed the muscle work imbalance and asymmetry. A greater deficit was observed in the concentric mode of work in athletes with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. The calf muscles need to be worked out in athletes of all nosological groups.