KINETIC-FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION IN WHEELCHAIR ATHLETES

AN ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: This work aims to reflect on the experience of Physiotherapy students from the Fanor Wyden University Center during their participation in a project developed in partnership with the Association for Disability Overcoming Limits (ADESUL), alongside the wheelchair basketball team. It addresses the impact of this experience on the academic and professional development of the students. Objectives: To explore how the extension activity with athletes with disabilities contributed to the students' training, enabling the development of essential technical and human skills for future professional practice. Methodology: This work is an experience report on the interaction with the athletes of the ADESUL wheelchair basketball team, integrating university extension activities within the context of the Kinetic-Functional Assessment discipline. Six athletes with different clinical conditions participated, and the students, under faculty supervision, conducted anamnesis, functional assessment with goniometry and perimetry, application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), postural analysis, and educational interventions. The methodological process was based on reflection on the practical application of theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom, considering the specific social and physical realities of the athletes. Results: the experience made a significant contribution to the students' academic training, as they had the opportunity to practice empathy, active listening, clinical reasoning, and teamwork in a concrete healthcare setting. Direct contact with the athletes allowed them to understand challenges related to accessibility, functional limitations, and social barriers, broadening their perception of the importance of a humanized and inclusive physiotherapy practice. The athletes' receptiveness and the exchange of knowledge reinforced the relevance of extension practice as a tool for integrating teaching, community, and social reality, awakening critical thinking and professional responsibility in the students. Conclusions: the experience had a significant impact on the students' training, fostering the development of professionals better prepared to deal with the diversity of functional conditions and more sensitive to human needs, reaffirming the importance of adapted sport as a means of inclusion, rehabilitation, and promotion of quality of life. In this sense, the project proved to be a transformative experience, contributing to the comprehensive education of students and to the appreciation of physiotherapy as a science committed to care, functionality, and citizenship.

Keywords: Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy Students, Community Outreach, Adapted Sports, Wheelchair Athletes.