Health, vocational, and functional status in spinal cord injured athletes and nonathletes.

The relationship of sports involvement to medical complications, functional independence, and vocational status was studied in 67 individuals from 2 to 24 years after spinal cord injury (SCI). Sports participation ranged from none to 30 (means 7.6) hours/wk. No significant correlation was found between time spent in sports participation and number of medical complications, rehospitalizations, functional status, or employment. Subsequently, subgroups of SCI wheelchair basketball players (n = 19) and SCI nonathletes (n = 19) were compared in medical, functional, and vocational status. The athlete group showed significantly more average time per week of sports participation (p less than 0.03), as expected. Fewer physician visits (p less than 0.01) occurred in the athlete group. Trends toward fewer medical complications and fewer rehospitalizations were seen in the athletic group, but this did not reach statistical significance. Sports participation was not associated with increased risk of medical complications and did not limit available time for vocational pursuits. The positive benefits of sports involvement on the community reintegration process and the acquisition of functional skills for the newly disabled warrant further study. The long-term impact of sports involvement on prevention of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other associated risks of a sedentary existence demands attention in our aging SCI population.