621 - Incidence of Concussion in Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Athletes

Thursday, February 19, 2026

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM AST

Presenting Author(s)

AK

Alexander Kowalske, BS

Medical Student
University of Texas Southwestern
Dallas, Texas, United States

Co-Author(s)

LK

Lindsey Kim, MD

PGY4
UT Southwestern Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Dallas, Texas, United States
KS

Kristen A. Santiago, MD

Resident Physician
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, United States
XP

Xiaoyu Norman Pan, MD, PhD

Resident Physician PGY-1
Spaulding Rehab/Harvard
Framingham, Massachusetts, United States
SU

Stephen A. Urias, ATC, LAT

Head Athletic Trainer Adapted Sports
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas, United States

Corresponding Author(s)

DK

Donald Kasitinon, MD

Associate Professor
University of Texas Southwestern
Irving, Texas, United States

Submitter(s)

AK

Alexander Kowalske, BS

University of Texas Southwestern
Dallas, Texas, United States

Objectives: Concussion surveillance in adaptive sports is essential for improving athlete safety and informing prevention strategies, yet existing data remain limited. To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal investigation of concussion incidence in athletes with disabilities across multiple seasons. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of sport-related concussion in collegiate wheelchair basketball across multiple seasons and compare these rates with those of non-disabled National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball athletes.

Design: This study was a prospective, multi-season, longitudinal surveillance cohort study. Athletes from the men’s and women’s collegiate wheelchair basketball teams at a single university were administered standardized electronic REDCap surveys. Preseason surveys included demographic information and injury history, while intra-, and postseason surveys collected injury data. Postseason injury surveys were also completed by the team's athletic trainer. Concussion incidence was measured using these surveys, and concussion rates were calculated based on estimated athlete-exposures from games and practices throughout the season. These rates were then compared to those available in an NCAA basketball concussion study.

Results:

Ninety-nine athlete-seasons were studied across four seasons (2021-2024). Twelve concussions occurred during this period. Concussion rates per 10,000 athlete exposures were 6.66 (95% CI, 2.44–14.49) for men, 8.86 (3.25–19.29) for women, and 7.60 (3.93–13.28) combined. Compared to NCAA basketball, injury rate ratios were 1.99 (0.88–4.49) for men, 1.69 (0.75–3.80) for women, and 1.79 (1.01–3.18) overall, indicating a significantly higher overall rate of concussion.

Conclusions:

Collegiate wheelchair basketball players experienced a higher overall concussion rate than their non-disabled collegiate basketball (NCAA) counterparts. These findings emphasize the need for improved surveillance, targeted concussion prevention, and tailored response protocols in adaptive sports.