The Effect Of Amputation An Dsport Activity On The Body Awareness

Introduction

After amputation of any part of the body, the majority of  patients continue to feel the lost body part, it pains or itches. The phantom pain shows the essential difference between the body awareness and body scheme. As the body awareness differently changes  in consequence of right/left side injuries of athletes (Kudar, 1995). The present study compares the body awareness changes in athletes and non-athletes subjects after amputation. We compare the body awareness of healthy- and amputated male athletes, too.

The main question of the study is that how affects the regular physical activity the pattern of body consciousness after the amputation. The Body Focus Questionnaire (BFQ) measures how an individual focuses his/her attention to the different parts of his/her body (Fisher, 1970, 1986).

Methods

The revised form of the BFQ (Kudar, 1995) has 9 scales (Arms, Right/Left, Back/Front, Legs, Head, Eyes,  Mouth, Stomach, and Heart). The clinical data list collects the anamnestic data, the phantom pain, the level of the physical activity, the details of the rehabilitation interventions, the use of artificial limb, etc. Eight male amputated patients (4 athletes, 4 non-athletes)  between 25 and 45 year of age were examined .

Results

The fact of the amputation and the time duration after the amputation change the body awareness level of the lost body part. The athletes amputated patients’ body awareness shows a high level similarity to the body awareness of the healthy athletes, what is especially expressed  in the body concept of the arms and legs.

Conclusions

Body awareness/concept of amputated patients influenced by the time duration after the operation, the physical activity, health gymnastics, and the use of the prosthesis.

References

[1]. Fisher, S. (1986): Lawrence  Erlbaum Associates, Publishers  Hillsdale, Volume 2. 535-567

[2]. Kudar, K. (1995): Kalokagathia.Review of Hungarian University of Physical Education XXXIII.1. 94-102  [3]. Sipos, K., Kudar, K., Molnár, P.:(1997) 18^th International Conferene of the Stress and Anxiety  Research Society. Abstracts Book.  p. 119

[4]. Ramachandran, V. S., Hirstein, W. (1998): Brain.  121/ 1603-1630