Quality of Life after Spinal Cord Injury: A Multiple Case Study Examination of Elite Athletes

Agata Goraczko, Grzegorz Zurek, Maciej Lachowicz, Katarzyna Kujawa, Wiesław Blach and Alina Zurek
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Agata Goraczko: Clinic of Neurorehabilitation, 54-519 Wroclaw, Poland
Grzegorz Zurek: Department of Biostructure, University School of Physical Education, 51-612 Wroclaw, Poland
Maciej Lachowicz: Department of Biostructure, University School of Physical Education, 51-612 Wroclaw, Poland
Katarzyna Kujawa: Clinic of Neurorehabilitation, 54-519 Wroclaw, Poland
Wiesław Blach: Department of Sports Didactics, University School of Physical Education, 51-612 Wrocław, Poland
Alina Zurek: Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-10

Abstract: A three-times World Champion in BMX (an acronym for Bicycle Motocross) dirt jumps, a Junior World Champion in ski jumping, and a European karate Champion sustained spinal cord injuries at the cervical and thoracic level. Such a severe trauma is tantamount to the end of a professional sporting career. In such a situation, the athlete’s life significantly changes in every aspect of it: health, professional, and social. The greatest sports champions have not yet been portrayed in the context of a strategy they used to deal with an abrupt end of a professional career due to severe injury. A semi-structured interview was conducted with study participants who additionally filled out the WHO Quality of Life Scale. This multiple case series presents the quality of life in elite athletes as well as the social activities they have undertaken regardless of the tragic accident. The results of the research indicate that these people are characterized rather by a positive sense of quality in life, and the way they function in a difficult situation is an inspiration to others.

Keywords: spinal cord injury; quality of life; elite athletes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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