Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the respiratory muscle strength (RMS) of basketball players in wheelchairs (BPW) with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the values obtained with the predicted ones. Methods: This is a single-center, quantitative, survey study. Sixteen male athletes were divided into two groups: SCI, n = 8, and; without SCI, n = 8. Both groups were evaluated for anthropometric variables and the RMS, using the manovacuometer to measure the maximum inspiratory (MIP) and maximum expiratory (MEP) pressures. Results: The sample consisted of sixteen male athletes, aged between 34.75 ± 8.55 years for the SCI group and 24.50 ± 5.37 years for the group without SCI. Both groups had MIP values obtained higher than predicted. The MEP values obtained by the group without SCI were higher than predicted and the value obtained by the group with SCI. The percentage reached in the predicted MEP of the group without SCI was higher than that of the group with SCI. Conclusion: Despite the benefits of regular BPW practice observed on athletes' inspiratory muscle strength (IMS), these effects do not seem to apply to the expiratory muscle strength (EMS) of subjects with SCI.