Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan ACM(1), Ma BHM(1), Ng DMT(1), Cheung CWL(1), Kwok CKC(1), Chau KF(2), Chan HW(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapy Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
(2) Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Introduction :
Hong Kong Transplant and Dialysis Game (HKTDG) is a biannual sports events for local organ transplant recipients and individuals undergoing haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Multidisciplinary pre-game assessment for them has been implemented for years, with some participants referred for physiotherapy service for managing various musculoskeletal conditions and sports injuries before and after the competition. During pre-game physiotherapy (PT) sessions, apart from relieving symptoms and enhancing functional capability, the goal of physiotherapy was to prepare them to successfully return-to-work or return-to-sports.
Hence, a structured and tailored sports enhancement programme for post-transplant recipients was piloted at Physiotherapy Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) since June 2024, aiming at facilitating them to return to sports, injury prevention and optimizing their sports performance before the HKTDG 2024.
Objectives :
To evaluate the outcomes of the structured sports enhancement programme for organ-transplant recipients at PT QEH.
Methodology :
All subjects who completed the 12-week programme were reviewed. It included pre-game assessment, group educational talk targeting sports psychology and injury prevention, physical assessment, physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions, sports-specific training, holistic care on both physical and mental preparation with integration of sports science and exercise-related responses for organ recipients, on-site advice and support during training and the game.
Result & Outcome :
Nine (four males and five females, mean age: 63.9 years old) subjects receiving various transplant procedures completed our programme and participated in the HKTDG 2024.
Mean body fat reduced by 2.07%. Mean cardiovascular fitness increased by 5.97%. Strength and sports-specific outcome measures including shoulder stability, arm endurance, plyometric strength and agility showed improvement post-training. All participants agreed or strongly agreed in overall satisfaction survey on this programme. Specifically, all participants agreed or strongly agreed that the programme enhanced their sports performance and their confidence in joining competitive sports in which racquet, targeted, and track and field sports demonstrated excellent results with none of them reported injuries after the competition.
With the support of the society, corporate and collaboration of various medical departments, Transplant Game is not only a triumph on resilience of athletes but highlights the profound impact on second chance at life. It also advocates organ donation and raises its awareness. A structured, professional and specific guidance on post-transplant needs transforms lives and empowers patients to realize their full potential in sports and beyond.
