Core Muscle Strength and Trunk Stability in Paralympic Athletes: Implications for Performance — A Narrative Review

Duran ARSLAN, Sinan SEYHAN, Görkem AÇAR

Abstract


Sport performance in Paralympic athletes is a complex construct influenced by biomechanical, neuromuscular, and functional factors, among which core muscle strength and trunk stability play a central role. The purpose of this narrative review was to critically examine the relationship between core muscle function and athletic performance in Paralympic athletes across different sports and impairment types. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in major databases between 2015 and 2025, focusing on studies that evaluated core strength, trunk stability, balance, and performance-related outcomes in Paralympic populations. Six studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included, encompassing wheelchair basketball, para-swimming, paracanoe, throwing disciplines, wheelchair sports, and para-karate. The reviewed evidence consistently indicates that core muscle strength and trunk stability appear to be associated with balance, postural control, and functional movement efficiency. However, findings regarding direct improvements in sport-specific performance outcomes such as speed, power, or sprint performance remain inconsistent. These discrepancies appear to be influenced by sport discipline, functional classification, intervention duration, and the specificity of training protocols. Overall, the evidence suggests that core and trunk function serve as foundational capacities that support neuromuscular control and movement quality rather than acting as isolated determinants of performance. Future research should adopt sport-specific, high-velocity, and task-oriented core training approaches, while accounting for impairment type and functional classification, to better clarify the contribution of trunk stability to Paralympic athletic performance.

Keywords: Balance and Postural Control, Core Stability, Paralympic Athletes, Sport Performance, Trunk Control.


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.53016/jerp.v7i1.323

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