Sports for people with disabilities

Sport je od davnina bio ključan dio ljudskog života. Prvotno su sportske aktivnosti i tjelovježba bili usmjereni vještinama preživljavanja da bi ljudi bili uspješniji u lovu. Kasnije u Antičkoj Grčkoj sport se razvija kroz aspekte osobnog zdravlja i tjelovježbe. Tada započinje i najvažnije sportsko natjecanje na svijetu, Olimpijske igre. Nakon toga sportske aktivnosti se većinom vežu uz nasilje kroz gladijatorske igre u Rimskom carstvu odnosno do viteških turnira u srednjem vijeku. Krajem 18. i početkom 19. stoljeća sport počinje poprimati oblike kakve ima i danas s naglaskom na zabavu i zdravlje. Sport ima veliki utjecaj na zdravlje pojedinca. Bilo da je to fizičko, psihološko ili socijalno. Iako se uz pozitivne učinke kojima sport utječe na zdravlje mogu pridodati i oni negativni, u globalu pozitivni učinci sporta su višestruko naglašeni. Najpozitivniji učinci sporta na zdravlje su veći kapacitet srca i pluća, bolje kardiovaskularno zdravlje, jači imunitet, antidepresivni učinci, veći osjećaj pripadnosti društvu i mnogi drugi. Invalidom se smatra osoba kojoj je zbog bolesti, ozljede ili prirođenog nedostatka trajno smanjena sposobnost za rad i samostalan život. Prema vrsti oštećenja koja uzrokuju invalidnost dijele se na tjelesna i mentalna. Osobama s invaliditetom sport predstavlja nešto više nego sportašima koji nemaju invaliditeta. Sport im ujedno pruža i rehabilitaciju koja im uvelike olakšava život. Sportska natjecanja osoba s invaliditetom dijele se u tri kategorije. Natjecanja za gluhe osobe, natjecanja za osobe s tjelesnim invaliditetom i natjecanja za osobe s intelektualnim poteškoćama. Najpoznatija sportska natjecanja za osobe s invaliditetom su Paraolimpijske igre, Olimpijske igre gluhih osoba i Specijalna olimpijada. Fizioterapeut je jedna od najvažnijih osoba u životu invalida, a posebno invalida sportaša. Pomaže mu u svakodnevnom funkcioniranju i poboljšava sportske mogućnosti, te smanjuje rizik od ozljeda ponajviše kroz naglasak na individualni pristup. Prikazana su istraživanja koja pokazuju važnost fizioterapeuta u životu sportaša s invaliditetom.Sports has always been a key part of human life, since ancient times. Originally, sports activities and exercise were focused on survival skills to help people be more successful in hunting. Later, in Ancient Greece, sport developed through aspects of personal health and exercise. At that time the most important sports competition in the world, the Olympic Games, started. After that, sports activities were mostly associated with violence from the gladiator games in the Roman Empire, to the knightly tournaments in the Middle Ages. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, sport began to take on the forms it still has today with an emphasis on fun and health. Sport has a great impact on an individual's health. Whether it is physical, psychological or social aspect of health. Although negative effects can also be added next to the positive effects that sports has on health, globally the positive effects of sports are in the majority. The most positive effects of sports on health are greater heart and lung capacity, better cardiovascular health, stronger immunity, antidepressant effects, a greater sense of belonging to society and many others. A disabled person is considered to be a person whose ability to work and live independently has been permanently reduced due to illness, injury or congenital deficiency. According to the type of damage that causes disability, they can be divided into physical and mental. Sports means something more to people with disabilities than to athletes without disabilities. Sport also provides them with rehabilitation, which greatly facilitates their lives. Sports competitions for people with disabilities are divided into three categories. Competitions for deaf people, competitions for people with physical disabilities and competitions for people with intellectual disabilities. The most famous sports competitions for people with disabilities are the Paralympic Games, the Deaf Olympic Games and the Special Olympics. A physiotherapist is one of the most important person in the life of a disabled person, especially a disabled athlete. It helps him in his daily functioning, improves sports opportunities and reduces the risk of injuries mainly through an emphasis on an individual approach. Researchs that show the importance of physiotherapists in the life of athletes with disabilities are presented