Citation

Gee CM, Nightingale TE, West CR, Krassioukov AV. Br. J. Sports Med. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bjsports-2020-101980

PMID

32381500

Abstract

This infographic provides a summary of the use of boosting by athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI); its causes, warning signs and dangers, and the current approach of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to testing.

Boosting is the intentional induction of autonomic dysreflexia (AD) to enhance performance. AD is a potentially life-threatening condition experienced by many individuals with a SCI, typically at or above the T6 spinal level. It is characterised by a sudden increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) >20 mm Hg above baseline due to a noxious or non-noxious stimuli below the level of injury, that excites sympathetic preganglionic neurons resulting in vasoconstriction of blood vessels in the lower extremities and trunk.1 Triggers include, but are not limited to, bladder distension, injury or an innocuous stimulus (eg, a tight …

Language: en

Keywords

cardiovascular; disability; doping; elite performance; exercise physiology