[Para-sports for Muscular Dystrophy Patients].

Patients with muscular dystrophy repeatedly experience loss of motor function and the ability to perform activities of daily living throughout the progression of their disease. These experiences can seriously decrease their self-esteem. Although multidisciplinary care has improved the life expectancy of these patients greatly, it can be hard for them to engage in social activities. Para-sports can bring about a sense of independence in such patients. They can join para-sports as players, because para-sports are modified or originally designed to adapt to their functional abilities. Such experiences can produce revolutionary and amazing effects for them. The benefits of para-sports include not only recreational pleasure but also a sense of accomplishment and opportunities for socialization. Participating in rulemaking to enable them to play games is an ideal chance for individuals to confront their own handicap and consider how to overcome it. Practicing and gaming with teammates produce opportunities for social interaction. Thus, para-sports has numerous merits for patients with muscular dystrophy. On the other hand, risk management is a mandatory requirement for para-sports, especially in patients with heart and respiratory failure. Unfortunately, most medical staff have paid little attention to para-sports and find it difficult to provide suitable advice. To encourage the continuous development of para-sports, communication between medical staff and para-sports associations is important.