Every year, a remarkable event known as the Inter Spinal Unit Games takes place, bringing together spinal rehabilitation units from across the UK for a celebration of resilience, teamwork, and the indomitable spirit of those on the journey to recovery. Organised by WheelPower and hosted at the prestigious Stoke Mandeville Stadium, this event is a testament to the power of sports and camaraderie in the rehabilitation process. All NHS spinal rehabilitation units from across the UK are invited to attend, each participating team consists of up to eight current or recently discharged patients from various NHS spinal rehabilitation units.
Hobbs Rehabilitation has been honoured to be invited as a non-NHS centre, to take part in this inspiring event for several years, and this year, we were proud to bring a team of four individuals who had all experienced spinal cord injuries within the last year to 18 months and attended Hobbs Rehabilitation for an Intensive Rehabilitation Package from our specialist, multidisciplinary Spinal Injury Team.
Each individual was able to take part in a variety of adaptive sports and compete in swimming, shooting, Boccia and table tennis. The team were lucky enough to place first in two swimming races and 2nd in the Boccia final which is an amazing achievement. The staff even managed to win the swimming races!
The Inter Spinal Unit Games is not just a competition; it’s a celebration of progress, determination and the unwavering human spirit. It’s an opportunity for these incredible individuals to showcase their strengths and abilities through adaptive sports and friendly competition.
Jo Blatherwick, Spinal Cord Injury Team Lead, comments: “This is a fully funded charitable event and we feel very lucky to be included as a non-NHS centre, allowing those who have not been able to take part previously to be able to experience sport again and possibly find something they are passionate about. There has already been interest in Boccia and Triathlon from the team. We are incredibly proud of the team we took this year, their hard work and determination in everything they did but also their incredible sportsmanship and team ethos. We are looking forward to next year, sourcing our team and sponsorship to allow us to attend. A huge thank you to WheelPower for organising and running the event, to Ottobock for sponsoring the team kit, to Eximius for providing care and to Aspire for supporting this.”
Hobbs Rehabilitation provides continuous post-discharge rehabilitation for individuals recovering from spinal cord injuries, emphasising independence and functional improvement. For more information on our Spinal Cord Injury Service, please visit our website.
We look forward to continuing our participation in this incredible event, celebrating the achievements of our patients, and supporting them on their journey to recovery. The Inter Spinal Unit Games exemplify the power of sports and teamwork in the rehabilitation process, and we are grateful to be part of this inspiring tradition.