Is Wheelchair Basketball a Symmetric or Asymmetric Sport?

Abstract

Wheelchair basketball (WB) is a health and inclusion opportunity for people with disabilities. In the scientific literature, no evidence defines WB as a symmetrical or asymmetrical sport; however, it would be helpful to deepen this aspect because it could improve the quality of training programs and consequently speed up WB performance. In WB, the biomechanical role of the shoulders is crucial. Therefore, the symmetry index and the activation of the bilateral supraspinatus and biceps brachii muscles were investigated to establish, with specific WB tests, whether it is a symmetrical or asymmetrical sport. Ten professional athletes were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Each athlete was assessed by executing three tests on the field: sprint test, figure 8 test with the ball, and test without the ball. The symmetry index and muscle recruitment of the right and left supraspinatus and biceps brachii muscles were evaluated with a surface electromyograph. In all three tests, there was a positive correlation between muscle activations of the right and left supraspinatus muscles (sprint test: p-value 0.004; figure 8 without the ball: p-value 0.016; figure 8 with ball: p-value 0.009), while no correlation emerged between the muscle activities of the two brachial biceps (sprint test: p-value 0.155; figure 8 without ball: p-value 0.291, figure 8 with ball: p-value 0.9). There was a negative correlation between right biceps brachii muscle recruitment and performance in the figure 8 test without the ball and between right and left supraspinatus muscle recruitment and performance in the figure 8 test with the ball. Finally, no correlation was found between the symmetry index of the supraspinatus and brachial biceps muscles and the performance in the three tests. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant for all tests. A higher and more symmetrical shoulder muscle recruitment does not lead to a better performance. WB could be regarded as an asymmetrical sport, particularly in sport-specific gestures, where technical skills are more important than muscle strength. Therefore, training should not aim to implement strength and symmetry but to improve the refinement and technical peculiarity of the athletic gesture.