Optic Nerve Atrophy and Judo Athletes
For athletes with disabilities, there is an ever-increasing pool of sports available in which they can compete. From wheelchair basketball to murder ball, the options are expanding and many have already become Paralympic sports. One of the most fascinating Paralympic sports is judo, a martial art that derives its origins from Jujutsu (“What is Judo and Kodokan,” 2014). According to the article “What is Judo and Kodokan” (2014) Judo was created by Professor Jigoro Kano in an effort to emphasize, “the larger educational value of training in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from” (para. 1). A sport like judo requires excellent skills in balance, timing, strength, and others found in similar martial arts. Fortunately for an athlete like Adam, who has optic nerve atrophy and desires to play judo, there are ways for athletes with visual impairments to become involved in the sport.
Optic nerve atrophy is a debilitating condition that in almost all cases leads to blindness or near blindness. According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (2014), the disease is classified as “mild to severe damage to the optic nerve that can adversely affect central vision and color vision” (“Optic nerve atrophy,” para. 2). What is even more devastating is that there is no known cure for the disease – the damage caused to the eye by optic nerve atrophy cannot be undone. In order to treat the disease, the only option is “limiting further optic nerve damage (if possible),” (“Optic nerve atrophy,” para. 5). For those with optic nerve damage as a result of the disease, if vision has not been completely lost, co...
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...daptive sports. Judo is just one of many options for athletes like Adam, and the increasing presence of adaptive sports will only serve to provide these athletes with more competitive options.
References
IBSA judo rules 2009-2013. (2013). International Blind Sports Federation. Retrieved March 30, 2014 from http://www.ibsasport.org/sports/judo/rules/
Ohlenkamp, N. (2014). Visually impaired athletes in judo competition. Judoinfo.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014 from http://judoinfo.com/virules.htm
Optic nerve atrophy. (2014). American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Retrieved March 30, 2014 from http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/81
What is judo? (2013). World Judo Day. Retrieved April 2, 2014 from http://www.worldjudoday.com/en/WhatisJudo-57.html
What is judo and Kodokan? (2014). Judoinfo.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014 from http://judoinfo.com
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Injuries are common in most sports that have a contact component attached. Whether it’s at a professional level, or a school level, injuries are always bound to occur in contact sport. This analysis will look into the role headgear could, should and would play, and debates whether it should be made mandatory. Olympic sports such as Ice Hockey, Bicycle Riding and Baseball are just some examples that currently require athletes to wear a form of headgear. However, Australian contact sports such as AFL and Rugby give the option for players to wear headgear for protection. In 2011, 14 year old Ben Robinson was hospitalised after being treated 3 times in a game for head blows in a rugby game . In 1994, professional boxer Bradley Stone died from head injuries whilst boxing against Richie Wenton . Examples like these show the brutality of contact sports. Because of this, my paper will look at the issue of headgear in contact sport and will particularly look at this issue at junior sports level.
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"Mixed Martial Arts: Sport or Spectacle? : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. 24 Aug. 2007. Web. 15 May 2011. .Website
Paralympics Games: this events is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, vision impaired, and intellectual impairment. The opening ceremony for this year’s games attracted more than two million
As you can see there are several problems that lye within the gymnastics society, but we the outside force must come to learn, understand and teach the athletes and coaches some of the correct ways in which they can handle situations. I have come across some major problems throughout this paper, along with some good solution which I hope everyone can take into account. It is important for not only the athletes of this country to be aware of the problems they have, but also to inform the rest of society about the situations hence forth. I know things can change when we put our minds together and create action upon our solutions. I hope this information has helped anyone who was having a difficult time understanding some of the issues that arise with gymnastics, or anyone who had a question. “ Don’t let a problem or situation get in the way of a dream.”
“Every year around 4.2 million special needs participants attend Special Olympics events around the world.” (Special Olympics). Special Olympics gives individuals with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy participating in sports in the same ways as any other athlete. Special Olympics shows the accomplishments, skill and the bravery of the athletes. Athletics, through Special Olympics, make a positive impact on the lives of those with special needs allowing them to lead active lives.
Athletes must accomplish amazing feats of balance and coordination of the body. As scientist, Mikhail Tsaytin discovered in the 1970s, acrobats can successfully make a two person human tower in the dark, but after adding a third acrobat, not even the most talented can maintain the balance required to keep the tower intact while in the dark (1). What does darkness have to do with it? The point is that balance relies on at least three signals coming from the body, and one of those is sight. Once you eliminate one of these signals, the body cannot accomplish the required task. In addition to sight, signals coming from muscles and joints, called proprioceptors are sensitive to changes in position. The third contributor to the human tower and the topic of discussion of this paper is the vestibular system. A three-person human tower in the dark must not have enough information coming from the vestibular and proprioceptive systems to function without vision, whereas the two-person tower did have enough information.
Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that cause blindness by hurting the optic nerve, which is the large nerve that is responsible for vision. In glaucoma, the optic nerve damage is related to a change in the fluid pressure that circulates around the eyeball. In many cases, Glaucoma occurs when the eye's fluid pressure is high, but it can also occur when the pressure is measured as normal.
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Siedentop, D. Introduction to physical education, fitness, and sport. 7. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2009. Print.
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