Phoebe Runciman

• PhD Exercise Science
• Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University

Objective The objective of the present study was to describe eye illness among athletes with disability. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Participants Five hundred forty-seven athletes over 12 days (6564 athlete days) at Sochi 2014 and 567 athletes over 12 days (6804 athlete days)...

Introduction The Amsterdam 2022 International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport) was the first Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) consensus to consider the para athlete.1 To date, a lack of research in para sport on most aspects of concussion has prevented the development of evidence-infor...

Introduction Sound side loading is a risk factor for osteoarthritis development, which has been noted to reduce when using advanced prostheses during normal-paced walking in individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation (UTTA). However, descriptions of loading during fast-paced walking remain relatively unreported. Therefore, the aim of this s...

Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of impairment. Research has shown that individuals with unilateral lower limb amputation (ULLA) are 17 times more likely to develop OA on their sound side limb. Therefore, this review aimed to describe similarities and differences in the biomechanical loading variables of individuals with OA and those...

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate eye illnesses in Para athletes in the Winter and Summer settings. A search was conducted using PubMed-Medline, EbscoHost, and Web of Science for full-text original research articles published anytime until November 2022. Studies that reported quantitative data on eye illness in highly active individ...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of injuries and illnesses sustained during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, organised in a closed-loop environment to adhere with COVID-19 restrictions. Methods Injuries and illnesses from all teams were recorded on a daily basis by team medical staff on a web-based form and by local organising commi...

Objectives The relationship between sport-related injuries and Para athlete impairment type has not yet been comprehensively studied. This study aimed to describe injury incidence according to athlete impairment type during the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, by sex, age, Games period, chronicity and anatomical area. Methods A co...

Objectives To examine healthcare professionals (HCPs) attitudes, beliefs and preparedness towards the management of Para athlete mental health during the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted. National Paralympic Committee’s HCPs (n=857) working at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 202...

Objectives: Limited research exists on the sleep profiles of South African Para athletes. The aim of this study was to describe sleep quality, day-time sleepiness and chronotype of South African Para athletes, and to compare the relationship between sleep-related outcomes and demographic factors to athletes from a higher resourced country. Design...

Objective To explore the prevalence of symptoms of mental health conditions and burnout of healthcare professionals (HCPs) working during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Methods In this cross-sectional, observational study, HCPs working during the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games were asked...

Objective To describe the incidence and burden of illness at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which was organised with strict COVID-19 countermeasures. Methods Daily illnesses were recorded via the web-based injury and illness surveillance system (teams with their own medical staff; n=81), and local polyclinic services (teams without their own med...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of injuries at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, including injuries sustained in the new sports of badminton and taekwondo. Methods Injury data were obtained daily via the established web-based injury and illness surveillance system (WEB-IISS; 81 countries, 3836 athletes) and local organising committee medical...

Background: Individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation are at risk of abnormal mechanical joint loading and development of osteoarthritis on sound side joint structures. Objectives: This study describes the spatiotemporal and kinetic and kinematic parameters related to osteoarthritis in participants while using (A) a solid-ankle cushione...

Background Para athletes may have specific mental health challenges that, together with the demands of high-level sports performance, could put them at risk for mental health disorders.However, research in this population is limited. Objective To investigate factors associated with mental health in South African para athletes. Design Descriptive,...

Background There is a paucity of research investigating the mental health profiles of para athletes globally, especially in South Africa. Objective To describe the mental health profiles of a representative sample of para athletes in South Africa. Design Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Setting National to international level athletes compet...

Background Individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation (UTTA) have higher external ground reaction forces in joints on their sound side during gait and this been linked to increased risk of osteoarthritis in these individuals. Objective To describe the biomechanical characteristics in UTTA whilst using a novel, mechanically powered energy s...

Background Good sleeping habits are necessary for optimal practice and performance, as well as for athlete health. Although the sleep characteristics of elite athletes are well described, research is limited on the sleep profile of similar-level para athletes. Objective To evaluate sleep quality, sleepiness and chronotype of para athletes in South...

Objectives There is a paucity of research investigating mental health in Para athletes. The aim of this study was to describe mental health concerns of a representative sample of South African Para athletes. Design A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted at the 2019 National Championships for athletes with impairments. Methods Mental...

Para-athletes (PA) may have specific mental health (MH) challenges that, together with the demands of high-level sport performance, could put them at risk for MH disorders. However, research in this population is limited. PURPOSE: To investigate factors associated with MH in South African PA. METHODS: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 124...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of sports injury at the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Methods 567 athletes from 49 countries were monitored daily for 12 days over the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (6804 athlete days). Injury data were obtained daily from teams with their own medical support (41 teams and 557 athletes)...

Objective To describe the incidence rate (IR) and illness burden (IB) at the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Methods A total of 567 athletes from 49 countries were monitored for 12 days over the Pyeongchang 2018 Games (6804 athlete days). Illness data were obtained daily from teams with (41 teams, 557 athletes) and teams without (8 teams...

Participation in elite sporting activities is becoming increasingly popular for individuals with brain injury. This article outlines the types of brain injury and the associated movement dysfunctions. In addition, specific pathophysiologic and medical challenges facing athletes with brain injury are discussed. Further research conducted using athle...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of illness at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 3657 athletes from 78 countries, representing 83.5% of all athletes at the Games, were monitored on the web-based injury and illness surveillance system (WEB-IISS) over 51 198 athlete days during the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games. Illne...

Objectives To describe the incidence of injury in the precompetition and competition periods of the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 3657 athletes from 78 countries, representing 83.4% of all athletes at the Games, were monitored on the web-based injury and illness surveillance system over 51 198 athlete days during the Rio 201...

This critical review article describes the exercise performance capabilities, and the effect of exercise training interventions, in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases from the earliest possible date to December 201...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of injuries at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 547 athletes from 45 countries were monitored daily for 12 days during the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games (6564 athlete days). Daily injury data were obtained from teams with their own medical support (32 teams, 510 athletes) and tea...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of illness at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. Methods A total of 547 athletes from 45 countries were monitored daily for 12 days over the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games (6564 athlete days). Illness data were obtained daily from teams without their own medical support (13 teams, 37 athletes) and tea...

Objective: This study investigated bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm), fat mass (FM, kg), and fat-free soft tissue mass (FFSTM, kg) in Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Methods: Bone mineral density, BMD Z scores (standard deviations), FM, and FFSTM were measured for the whole body and at the lumb...

Runciman P, Tucker R, Ferreira S, Albertus-Kajee Y, Micklesfield L, Derman W: Site-specific bone mineral density is unaltered despite differences in fat-free soft tissue mass between affected and nonaffected sides in hemiplegic paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy: preliminary findings. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2016;00:00Y00. Objective: This study...

This study investigated performance and physiology to understand pacing strategies in elite Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP). Six Paralympic athletes with CP and 13 able-bodied (AB) athletes performed two trials of eight sets of 10 shuttles (total 1600m). One trial was distance-deceived (DEC, 1000 m + 600 m) one trial was nondeceived (N...

Objective: This study investigated performance, neuromuscular characteristics, and fatigue in Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) during a maximal explosive performance trial, compared with well-trained, sprint-specific able-bodied athletes. Design: Six Paralympic athletes with hemiplegic CP and 12 able-bodied athletes performed one 40-...

Objective: This study investigated the sprint cycling performance and neuromuscular characteristics of Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) during a fatiguing maximal cycling trial compared with those of able-bodied (AB) athletes. Design: Five elite athletes with CP and 16 AB age- and performance-matched controls performed a 30-sec Winga...