A2 (classification)

A2 is an amputee sport classification used by the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD).for people with acquired or congenital amputations. A2 sportspeople have one leg amputated above the knee. Their amputations impact their sport performance, including having balance issues, increased energy costs, higher rates of oxygen consumption, and issues with their gait.

Sports people in this class are eligible to participate in include athletics, swimming, sitting volleyball, archery, weightlifting, wheelchair basketball, cycling, amputee basketball, amputee football, lawn bowls, and sitzball.

This class is for people who have one leg amputated above the knee. This classification is sometimes abbreviated as A/K. In competing in other sports, this class may have a different name:

Amputee football: Field player.

Lawn bowls: LB2.

Sitting volleyball: Open.

Sitzball: Open.

Ten-pin bowling: TPB8, TPB9

Wheelchair basketball: 4 point player.

Cerebral palsy: CP3.

The nature of a person's amputations in this class can effect their physiology and sports performance. Prosthetic fitting and functionality in this class can differ depending on where, between the knee and hip, the amputation exists. The lower the amputation, the greater the lever the prosthetic user has using prosthesis and the more control they have in its usage. The higher the amputation, the less control they have. This can result in problems with balance.

People in this class can have a number of problems with their gait when walking. There are a number of different causes for these issues, and suggested ways to modify them. For a gait that involves the knee buckling, there are a number of causes including the heel being too firm, excessive heel leverage, incorrect alignment of the prosthetic knee or weak hip extensions. All but the last can be fixed by making adjustments to the prosthetic. The last is fixed by doing more gait training. If the prosthetic foot is rotating at heel strike, the cause is likely a poor socket fit or rotation. This is fixed by adjusting the socket.

Lower limb amputations effect a person's energy cost for being mobile. To keep their oxygen consumption rate similar to people without lower limb amputations, they need to walk slower. People in this class use around 87% more oxygen to walk or run the same distance as some one without a lower limb amputation.

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