Maximal Fully Tethered Swim Performance in Para Swimmers With Physical Impairment
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceBy purchasing this content you agree and accept the terms and conditions
The assessment of swimming propulsion should be a cornerstone of Paralympic swimming classification. However, current methods do not objectively account for this component. Purpose: To evaluate the swimming propulsion of swimmers with and without physical impairment using a 30-second maximal fully tethered freestyle swim test. Methods: Tethered forces were recorded during maximal fully tethered swimming in 80 competitive swimmers with (n = 70) and without (n = 10) physical impairment. The relationships between absolute and normalized tether forces and maximal freestyle swim speed were established using general additive models. Results: Para swimmers with physical impairment had lower absolute and normalized tether forces than able-bodied swimmers, and there were moderate positive correlations found between tether forces and sport class (τ = .52–.55, P < .001). There was a nonlinear relationship between tether force and maximal freestyle swim speed in the participant cohort (adjusted R 2 = .78–.80, P < .001). Para swimmers with limb deficiency showed stronger relationships between tether force and maximal freestyle swim speed (adjusted R 2 = .78–.82, P < .001) than did Para swimmers with hypertonia (adjusted R 2 = .54–.73, P < .001) and impaired muscle power (adjusted R 2 = .61–.70, P < .001). Conclusions: Physical impairments affect Para swimmers’ tether forces during maximal fully tethered freestyle swimming, explaining a significant proportion of their activity limitation. It is recommended that maximal fully tethered swimming be included in Paralympic swimming classification as an objective assessment of swimming propulsion.
Hogarth and Burkett are with the School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia. Van de Vliet is with the Medical and Scientific Dept, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany. Payton is with the Musculoskeletal Science & Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe, United Kingdom.
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