Assessing Neuromuscular Adaptation and Kinetic Symmetry in Elite Para-Kayakers: A Wearable Body Sensor Network Case Series

Movement analysis is essential for high-level athletes to perform at their best. Such analysis necessarily involves studying the characteristics of one’s own body, whose adaptive processes are crucial for understanding how each athlete responds to sudden changes. In this preliminary exploratory work, the paddling techniques of a limited, heterogeneous cohort of eight athletes were evaluated: four who were non-impaired and four who showed different classes of impairment (two KL3, one KL2, and one KL1). Each non-impaired athlete underwent three test series—one with a footrest, one without a footrest, and another with a modified footrest. KL3 athletes performed two tests, one with the prosthetic leg and one without, while KL2 and KL1 athletes completed a standard sprint. Measurements were obtained using a set of inertial sensors. The results showed a tendency toward greater symmetry in shoulder trajectories when the footrest was removed, and athletes improved their performance when sprinting under a modified configuration. These findings provide insight into how the body compensates for the absence of leg support, including changes in muscle recruitment and a tendency toward the better control of overall movement. Given the inherent constraints of the small sample size (n = 8), these results demonstrate the potential of IMU networks for personalized biomechanical assessment, providing descriptive, case-level insights rather than statistically generalizable trends.