Exercise Intensity During Power Wheelchair Soccer.
To determine exercise intensity during power wheelchair soccer among a sample of persons with mobility impairments.



Cross-sectional descriptive.



On-site training facilities of multiple power wheelchair soccer teams.



Participants with severe mobility impairments (N=30) (mean ± SD, age: 29.40±15.51y, body mass index: 24.11±6.47kg/m2, power soccer experience: 7.91±3.93y, disability sport experience: 12.44±9.73y) were recruited from multiple power wheelchair soccer teams.



Portable metabolic carts were used to collect oxygen consumption (V˙o2) data during resting and game play conditions.



Average V˙o2(expressed in metabolic equivalent tasks [METs]) during resting and game play conditions and rating of perceived exertion for game play.



V˙o2increased from 1.35±0.47 METs at rest to 1.81±0.65 METs during game play. This 34% increase in exercise intensity was significant (P<.01) and supported by a mean perceived exertion score of approximately 13 (somewhat hard).



Although not able to sustain an intensity associated with reduced secondary disease risk (ie, 3 METs), the documented light-intensity exercise in the current study surpassed an intensity threshold associated with improved functional capacity and performance of daily living activities (ie, 1.5 METs).
Department of Health and Human Performance, Radford University, Radford, VA. Electronic address: abarfield@radford.edu.
J P
JP
Barfield
Department of Health and Human Performance, Radford University, Radford, VA.
Laura
L
Newsome
University of Alabama-Birmingham/Lakeshore Research Collaborative, Birmingham, AL.
Laurie A
LA
Malone
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014910:Wheelchairs; D055815:Young Adult
Cerebral palsy; Muscular atrophy, spinal; Muscular dystrophies; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries