Sports and recreational options for a paraplegic

Competitive and recreational sporting activities among people with disabilities have increased tremendously over the years. People that suffer from spinal cord injury like paraplegia are some of the most active participants in these activities. Paraplegic individuals use a wheelchair as their primary mode of transportation. Thanks to advancement in design of sporting facilities and wheelchairs, today paraplegic people participate in all types of sports for competition, enjoyment, and to improve overall fitness.

Almost any sport in which athletes without paraplegia participate can be modified to fit participation by a paraplegic. Sports commonly participated in include aerobics, air-guns, archery, basketball, bicycling/hand cycling, bowling, canoeing, fishing, football, golf, horseback riding, kayaking, soccer, quad rugby, racquetball, distance racing, rowing, sailing, road racing, skiing, sled hockey, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, trap/skeet shooting, water skiing, weightlifting, wheelchair fencing, and water polo.

Recreational activities like these are a great remedy for the isolation that patients of paraplegia often suffer from. Not only do these activities offer a paraplegic a chance to get out in the open, but they also increase his sense of achievement, contentment and general well-being. Sports and regular activities can also encourage new friendships and help you become more adventuresome and tough minded than your inactive peers.

There are numerous sports and other organizations that actively work towards organizing sporting events for paraplegic people. You can contact most of them through the Yellow Pages or the Internet. While you are the best judge of which sports interest you and involve you, do consult your doctor before you enroll. Remember that you do not have to accept your immobility as a handicap. It is your inability to cope or work around it can is one. So get rolling and have some fun!

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