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The researcher supporting our athletes at the most successful Paralympic Winter Games in a long time

By agata [dot] garpenlind [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Agata Garpenlind) - published 21 March 2022
Kristina Fager. Photo: private
Kristina Fagher together with a Chinese colleague, "Ski-doctor", on the slopes. Meeting international colleagues is very rewarding and inspiring. Photo: Private photo.

Our researcher is part of the Swedish Olympic Committee’s development programme “Tomorrow’s Sports Researchers” and her research on para-athletes’ health and wellbeing aims to ensure that people with physical disabilities can play sports safely. Presently she is in China to provide support for the Swedish Paralympians at the Winter Paralympics.

In terms of performance, it is Sweden’s best Winter Paralympics in several years. So far Sweden has won four medals, two in alpine skiing and two in cross-country skiing in China. Lund researcher and physiotherapist Kristina Fagher is on site with the team.

– My primary task and responsibility is to make sure our athletes are well and to take care of them if an unfortunate event occurs and they get injured. As Director of the physiotherapy team, I also need to ensure that the medical part of the project on site functions as it should, explains Kristina Fagher, who is part of the Rehabilitation Medicine Research Group at Lund University. The research group is led by Jan Lexell, Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, and specialist physician in rehabilitation medicine.

Three alpine skiers, five curling competitors and one cross-country skier are included in the team.

– Unfortunately our other cross-country skier tested positive for COVID-19 just before departure from Sweden. So far, the team has not experienced any serious injuries or illnesses. We have been working intensively for several months to optimise the health of the athletes for the Games, which I hope and believe has had a good effect. For example, we have worked quite a bit with the preparations for the Games, as we are at a high altitude and had a long journey to reach here with time zone changes. To be able to perform at the highest level, it is essential for an athlete to be physically fit and healthy, which can be a challenge in parasports where athletes already have a functional disability, comments Kristina Fagher.

 

What is the researcher and physiotherapist Kristina Fagher doing at the Paralympic Winter Games in China?

“As a physiotherapist, I help to ensure that our athletes are ready to compete. Someone may need taping, help with correcting equipment or warming up. During the competition itself, I stand ready to assist with emergency care if something unfortunate happens on the ski slope.

During the training days, I was also out on the slopes with skis. There is also very good medical service on site with a team of international “ski doctors” and ski patrollers on the slopes.

After the competition, we work a lot with recovery and preventive treatment to prepare for the next day. For example, the athletes receive treatment such as soft tissue mobilisation/massage and acupuncture. We also go to the gym and run light exercises as well as mobility training, with the focus on speeding up the healing process and recovery.”

Para-athletes suffer more sports injuries and illnesses compared to athletes without a functional disability. Three years ago Kristina Fagher received a PhD after having successfully defending her doctoral dissertation “Sports-related Injuries and Illnesses in Paralympic Athletes,” based on her participation in Jan Lexell’s research group The focus and intention with her doctoral dissertation was to gain an improved understanding of sports injuries and illnesses in parasports, with the goal of contributing to improve the health of athletes in the long term.

– That’s the reason why we are currently developing a website with health prevention information especially adapted for para-athletes. Our hope is that such a website resource will improve athletes’ and coaches’ knowledge about health, and thus also reduce the occurrence of injuries and illnesses. Para-athletes are in most respects athletes just like any other athlete, and it is important to work with everything from sleep to diet and proper training and workouts, but in order to optimise their health, it is also important to have knowledge of how the physical disability itself affects health and performance. For example, having a spinal cord injury can put a person at greater risk for fractures, pressure ulcers and difficulty regulating temperature.

Sweden and Lund University at the forefront of research in parasports and sports medicine

According to Kristina Fagher and Jan Lexell, Sweden and Lund University are at the forefront of research in parasports and sports medicine.
The work in parasports and Paralympic sport was started by Jan Lexell over ten years ago. He was previously the Chief Medical Officer for the Swedish Paralympic Committee and was actively involved in three Paralympics. Since 2014, he has been one of eight doctors on the Medical Committee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

– Our long-term work has really contributed to our research being at the forefront,” stresses Jan. We have also developed collaborations internationally and this has given us the possibility to broaden and deepen our work, both clinically and scientifically, reports Jan Lexell, and continues;
– However when I look at other countries I see we need greater resources in sports and clinics in Sweden. For example, we have very few multidisciplinary clinics that specialise in sports medicine in Sweden, and it can be difficult for an athlete to find the right care in healthcare.

– In general, people with physical disabilities are also an under-studied group in health science and medical research, and the trend is the same in sports medicine, notes Kristina Fagher.

– I really hope that our research will contribute to a better understanding of parasports, so that people with a physical disability can participate in sports in a safe and healthy way. And that our Swedish Paralympians can continue to perform at the top level! she stresses.

And what do you see as a highlight from the Games?

– To see Ebba Årsjö take a gold medal in the super combination was very emotional and exciting. It was really a struggle for her to get where she is today. Zebastian Modin and guide Emil Jönssons Haag’s performances with two bronze medals was also fantastic.

Jan Lexell and Kristina Fager

Name: Kristina Fagher
Age: 35 years
Background: Licensed physiotherapist, and specialist in physical activity and sports medicine. Since 2013 a physiotherapist for the Swedish Paralympic Committee. Obtained her PhD in 2019 and has been a postdoctoral Assistant Researcher in the Rehabilitation Medicine Research Group since 2021 and is the lead researcher for the Safe & Healthy Parasport project. The aim of the project is to support the Swedish Paralympians in the event of injury or illness by means of regular follow-ups and working preventively with the goal of promoting health and performance. The project is funded through research funding from the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science/Centrum för Idrottsforskning, Folksam, Promobilia, the Norrbacka-Eugeina Foundation and the Swedish Paralympic Committee. Folksam and the Swedish Paralympic Committee funding of the project is via a unique collaboration between academia and sports leading up to the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

Kristina is also a teacher at the Physiotherapy Programme at Lund University, a federation physiotherapist for the Swedish Paralympic Committee, and a member of the team management. Link to information about the Physiotherapy Programme

Tomorrow’s Sports Researchers

Kristina Fagher was recently appointed as one of nine academic researchers to be part of the Swedish Olympic Committee’s development programme “Tomorrow’s Sports Researchers,” which is linked to what is called the “Olympic Offensive.” The intention with the initiative is to support ambitious sports researchers in activity-related research. The goal is to gain access to broad experience and establish the preconditions for more interaction and innovation in R&D work with a focus on elite sports.

Link to additional information in the Lund University Research Portal

Jan Lexell, Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Lund University and specialist physician in rehabilitation medicine. Previously he was the Chief Medical Officer for the Swedish Paralympic Committee, and was actively involved in three Paralympics. Since 2014, he has been one of eight doctors on the Medical Committee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the governing body for the Paralympic Movement. In 2018, he was awarded the Swedish Central Association for the Promotion of Athletics (SCIF) Grand Prize for sports science. For more than 30 years, Professor Lexell has published research of high-quality on physical activity, exercise, sports, muscles, ageing and sports medicine.

Link to additional information in the Lund University Research Portal

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