Project Themes

The Centre's Projects are divided into two strands of research which are:

Sport Science led by Dr Vicky Tolfrey and Sport Culture & Policy led by Dr David Howe.

Ergonomics of Wheelchair Configuration for Optimum Sports Performance project themes are:

1. What makes a good sports wheelchair – athlete’s views.

2. The effect of glove type on wheelchair rugby sports performance. Barry Mason's poster on this project won him first prize at the 2008 BPA conference.

3. Seat height and wheeling performance.

Immune function and infection risk in wheelchair athletes project themes are:

1. Mucosal immune function in wheelchair athletes

Nutritional, Anthropometric & Bone Health Aspects of Wheelchair Athletes project themes are:

1. Fluid Balance (sweat loss and fluid intake) and thermoregulation (ability to control the body’s internal temperature) of athletes with a disability.

2. Nutritional profiles of wheelchair athletes.

3. The relationship between dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and body composition obtained by skinfolds in competitive wheelchair athletes.

4. Tibia geometry with spinal cord injury

5. Energy expenditure of Paralympic athletes

Physiology of Disability Football project themes are:

1. Physiological profiling

Physiology of Wheelchair Tennis project themes are:

1. Physiological profiling

2. Cooling strategies

3. Validation of field based testing for wheelchair athletes

Training Strategies for Wheelchair Participants project themes are:

1. The use of ‘rating of perceived exertion (RPE)’ for monitoring training intensity in wheelchair athletes.

2. Inspiratory muscle training and wheelchair performance

Wheelchair Propulsion and Mechanical Efficiency project themes are:

1. The effects of push strategy on mechanical efficiency.

Wheelchair Sports Performance

1. Development of current and new field-based testing techniques of wheelchair athletes.

2. Towards evidence based classification in Paralympic athletics: reliability of methods for evaluating sports-specific range of movement -this is a collaboration with Dr Sean Tweedy, University of Queensland, Brisbane.

Barry Mason - Associated PhD student was:

"Investigating the effects of rear wheel camber upon mobility performance".

The project themes are:

Classification, Sport Science and Technology Interface

Cultural History of the Paralympic Movement

Disability in Sport Physical Activity and Health project themes are:

1. Understanding the well-being of spinal cord injured patients who are isolated as a result of pressure ulcers

2. Developing methods and frameworks for understanding gender, disability, and transition to adult life

3. Understanding narrative, embodiment and resilience in positive life changes following spinal cord injury

Philosophy of the Paralympic Movement

Women’s Participation in Paralympic Sport