Inclusive Health
Fit Feet
Special Olympics Fit Feet offers screenings to evaluate ankles, feet, lower extremity biomechanics, and proper shoe and sock gear to participating athletes. Fit Feet helps Special Olympics athletes step lively on the playing field, and in everyday life. Many athletes suffer from foot and ankle pain, or deformities that impair their performance.
In fact, up to 50 percent of Special Olympics athletes experience one or more preventable or treatable foot conditions that can affect their sports participation. Often, these individuals are not fitted with the best shoes and socks for their particular sport. During Fit Feet events, volunteer foot healthcare specialists work with athletes to evaluate problems of the feet, ankles and lower extremity biomechanics.
For more information please contact Natalee Kamau, Director of Health and Fitness, at [email protected].
In fact, up to 50 percent of Special Olympics athletes experience one or more preventable or treatable foot conditions that can affect their sports participation. Often, these individuals are not fitted with the best shoes and socks for their particular sport. During Fit Feet events, volunteer foot healthcare specialists work with athletes to evaluate problems of the feet, ankles and lower extremity biomechanics.
For more information please contact Natalee Kamau, Director of Health and Fitness, at [email protected].
FUNfitness
FUNfitness is the physical therapy discipline of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes ® that addresses the ongoing health needs of Special Olympics (SO) athletes. FUNfitness provides athletes the opportunity to be screened for flexibility of hamstring, calf, shoulder rotator and hip flexor muscles; functional strength of the abdominal and lower extremity muscles; and balance. During these screenings, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapist or physical therapist assistant students work with athletes and coaches to improve optimal function in sports training and competition, prevention of or reduced risk for injury and recommend exercises and other helpful strategies.
At FUNfitness screenings, we learned that a large percentage of Special Olympics athletes in the U.S. have the following health-related concerns:
- 71% have flexibility problems
- 73% have balance problems
- 56% have strength problems
- Assess needs in flexibility, strength, balance and aerobic fitness;
- Teach exercises to help athletes improve identified areas of need;
- Educate participants, families and coaches about the importance of flexibility, strength, balance and aerobic conditioning in overall fitness
- Provide a hands-on opportunity for athletes to learn how physical therapists can help them improve their fitness.
