Scientific evidence of factors that may affect sports performance in Paralympic powerlifting: a scoping review

Abstract

The objective of this research is to point out the studies that describe variables that are associated with a positive impact on competitive performance in paralympic powerlifting athletes. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were used to develop the study, and the studies were extracted from electronic databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and EBSCO. A selection process was carried out by title, abstract and full text, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Initially, 154 studies were identified. After eliminating duplicates and applying the inclusion criteria, 8 original articles were selected for qualitative analysis. The results indicate that there are physiological and biomechanical factors related to sports performance. Placebo intake, use of creatine monohydrate, lean body mass percentage, genetic predisposition, and various short- and medium-term recovery methods, such as dry needling and cold water immersion, are physiological factors related to performance. Regarding biomechanical factors, it was evidenced that the measurement of bar grip is related to greater force production and average propulsive speed.