With or without straps? A pilot study to investigate whether restraint devices affect the wheelchair basketball players' performance

Background: Wheelchair basketball (WB) represents a great physical activity, rehabilitation, and integration opportunity for people with disability. Straps are wheelchair accessories used to ensure safeness and stability. Nevertheless, some athletes report feeling limited in movements because of these restraint devices. The aim of this study was thus to deepen whether straps could affect performance and cardiorespiratory effort in WB players' athletic gesture and furthermore whether sport performance could be influenced by experience, anthropometric features, or classification score. Methods: Ten WB elite athletes were enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. Speediness, wheelchair maneuverability, and sport-specific skills were evaluated with 3 tests: 20-m straight line test (test 1), figure 8 test (test 2), and figure 8 with ball test (test 3); all tests were performed with and without straps. Cardiorespiratory parameters (blood pressure [BP], heart rate, and oxygen saturation) were registered before and after tests. Anthropometric data, classification score, and practice's years were collected and compared with test results. Results: Performance significantly improved in all tests wearing straps (test 1 P = 0.007, test 2 P = 0.009, and test 3 P = 0.025). No significant variation in cardiorespiratory basic signs emerged before and after the tests, with or without straps (systolic BP P = 0.140, diastolic BP P = 0.564, heart rate P = 0.066, and oxygen saturation P = 0.564). A statistically significant relation between test 1 with straps and classification score (coefficient = -0.25; P = 0.008) and test 3 without straps and classification score (coefficient = 1.00; P = 0.032) was found. No further relations emerged between test results and anthropometric data, classification score, and practice's years (P > 0.05). Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that straps, as well as ensuring safety and preventing injuries, also improve the WB performance, stabilizing the trunk and implementing upper limb skills, without exposing players to excessive cardiorespiratory and biomechanical stresses.