Boosting (doping)

It can be used by an athlete with a spinal cord injury to increase their blood pressure and is performed by causing a painful stimulus in the lower part of the body.

Athletes with spinal injuries can have difficulties with autonomic functions and their bodies may be unable to control blood pressure and heart rate.

Boosting works by tricking the body into a state of high blood pressure and heart rate,[1] with an increased utilization of oxygen improving the athlete's performance.

Techniques include:[3][4] Boosting has been shown in simulated races to give noticeable improvements in the performance of wheelchair marathon athletes.

[2][5] In the 1994 study the athletes attained an average 9.7 percent improvement after their bladder had been over-distended or after sitting in the racing chair for 1–2 hours prior to competing.

A game of wheelchair rugby , a sport where some competitors are believed to "Boost"
Boosting simulations were conducted on wheelchair marathon athletes in 1994 and showed that significant performance gains could be made