Playing Sports as An Amputee

One of the benefits of rotationplasty is that it still allows the patient to be very active, even without a prosthetic. I still have two feet that can rest on the ground and support my weight, so I can hop or “walk” around without worrying about falling or putting too much weight on my shorter leg.

As I got older, I was able to try a wide array of sports, such as soccer, basketball, swimming, and cross country. I was able to participate fully in all of them without any special accommodations. However, I began to face the fact that my running speed and endurance were substantially lower than my peers. Because of this, I did not seriously pursue opportunities in sports at school during elementary and middle school.

However, outside of school I found several activities that I could excel at. Starting around the age of 5, I participated in TaeKwonDo. There was some added difficulty due to the limited range of motion in my prosthetic joint, but I was still able to achieve the rank of black belt in TaeKwonDo at age 14. Starting at about age 8 or 9, I also participated in a Kendo club, where I learned the art of Japanese sword fighting.

Another activity that I really enjoy is table tennis. One of my Grandmas is also a cancer survivor, and after her recovery she got into table tennis and became really good at it. She even competed seriously. She taught me how to play ping pong in our basement, and we still play together whenever she visits.

At one point during my middle school years, I participated in some adaptive indoor rock climbing events. I got the chance to meet a well-known amputee rock climber named Craig DeMartino and learn from him, which was pretty cool.

When I started high school, I decided to join the tennis team, mostly because I liked table tennis and wanted to do something similar. I still ran into some of the same issues, mostly with my endurance, agility, and speed. While rotationplasty allows me to have a lot of control over the movements of my prosthetic, it can still be very cumbersome especially when trying to perform quick movements in sports.

Another very important item to consider is whether or not your prosthetic is designed well for rigorous physical activity. My prosthetic worked pretty well for tennis, but I did get a lot of blisters. While this issue can be reduced with proper bandages and timely adjustments, it can still be difficult to avoid entirely and is definitely something to consider when choosing a sport, especially if it heavily involves using your legs.

Recently, I started attending an adaptive tennis group. For a long time, I didn’t think I needed to play adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball or wheelchair tennis, since I could participate in regular sports just fine. Recently, though, I discovered something called Adaptive Standing Tennis (or Para Standing Tennis). It turns out that some amputees, like myself, who can technically play regular tennis are eligible to compete in a variety of events: para standing, wheelchair, or regular tennis. While some amputees in this situation stick with regular sports without special accommodations, others embrace all types. I’ve come to realize that adaptive sports are about more than just playing—they’re a great way to connect with a broader community of amputees and people with various disabilities, and to support and cheer each other on.

Through the adaptive tennis group, I also connected with a local tennis coach who has a rotationplasty like me. I’m planning to meet with him soon and take some lessons. I wouldn’t have made that connection if I hadn’t joined the adaptive tennis group for practice.

Aside from tennis, another thing I have considered is the possibility of getting a specialized leg for running. Since I do not really like running that much by itself, I did not end up pushing hard for it. However, if you want to participate in sports like track or cross country, it may be something you want to look into. An important aside is that, in general, specialized running legs are not covered by insurance, as they are not considered essential. There are, however, organizations who are lobbying to change this and charities who can offer them if you meet some qualifications.

The realm of adaptive sports is quite expansive. You might have to do some traveling, especially if you are not already in a large city, but it is definitely worth looking into if you are an amputee.