Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation Aids
Sports, exercise, and rehabilitation play a vital role in maintaining overall health and wellbeing. This is especially true for individuals with mobility impairments or those who use wheelchairs.
Whether newly injured or living with a long-term condition, staying active is key—not only to rebuild strength and stay motivated, but also to connect socially, maintain a healthy weight, and preserve mobility and independence over time.
There is a wide variety of rehabilitation equipment – and specialised sports and exercise equipment designed to support individuals with disabilities. From rehabilitation tools like standing frames, stationary hand bikes, therapy equipment, wrist weights, and plinths. To sports wheelchairs, hand cycles, and ParaGolfers. You’ll also find adaptive sports prostheses and assistive gear to meet a range of fitness goals.
To learn more about the different types of rehabilitative – and adaptive sports equipment available in South Africa, and the suppliers that sell, fit and repair them, please read the information below. Or visit our [Sports for Mobility Impairments] page to learn more about the types of adaptive sports opportunities across South Africa.
What Are You Looking For?
Companies and Organisations that can assist
1. Sports, Exercise, Rehabilitation & Therapy Equipment
1.1 Sports Equipment
– Sports Prosthesis
– Hand Cycles
2. Sports Wheelchairs:
– Basketball Wheelchairs
– Quad Rugby Wheelchairs
– Table Tennis Wheelchairs
– Tennis Wheelchairs
– Racing Wheelchairs
– Golf Wheelchairs and ParaGolfers
3. Exercise, Therapy and Rehab Equipment
– Standing and Walking Equipment
– Therapy Equipment
– Exercise Equipment
– Cardiovascular Equipment
Companies and Organisations That Can Assist
Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation, is big business and there are a wide variety of different types of equipment available on the market today that can aid in your rehabilitation and help you enjoy Sports and Exercise again. This specialised Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation equipment is available from companies such as ShonaquipSE, Sitwell Technologies, WHASCP Fitnes, and Solutions Medical – and include such products as Sports Wheelchairs, ParaGolfers, and Hand Cycles.
As well as Rehabilitation and Exercise Equipment such as Standing Frames, Stationary Hand Bikes, Therapy Equipment, Plinths, and more. These companies can also advise you on the best products to suite your needs – as well as servicing and repairs of the products that they sell. For those looking for a little additional assistance, we recommend organisations like QASA, who support disabled sports initiatives in South Africa. To learn more, please keep reading.
Sports, Exercise, Rehabilitation & Equipment| What do you need?
An increasing number of persons with disabilities are participating in sports and activities, leading to the development of new assistive technology that enable more sports enthusiasts with physical disabilities to play and enjoy a variety of sports and to participate in various activities. More complex assistive technology devices have been developed over time, and as a result, sports for persons with disabilities has evolved from being a therapeutic tool to competition activities.

1. Sports Equipment
Various types of Sports Equipment such as blade prostheses and hand cycles empowers athletes with disabilities to participate in high-performance and recreational activities. They are specifically designed for each sport and adapted for each athlete to enhance mobility, precision, and open the door to an inclusive, competitive sporting experiences.
Click here to learn more.

2. Sports Wheelchairs
Sports wheelchairs are specially engineered for speed, agility and stability, allowing athletes to perform at their highest level.
With lightweight frames and sport-specific designs, they enhance mobility, safety, and precision for both competitive and recreational players.
Click here to learn more.

3. Exercise, Therapy & Rehabilitation
Supports strength-building, mobility improvement, and overall physical well-being for people recovering from injury or with disabilities.
From therapeutic tools to adaptive exercise machines, this equipment helps individuals reach their rehabilitation goals safely and effectively.
Click here to learn more.
1. Sports Equipment
An increasing number of persons with disabilities are participating in sports and activities, leading to the development of new assistive technology that enable more sports enthusiasts with disabilities to play and enjoy a variety of sports and to participate in various activities.
Assistive technology can be found in Adaptive Sports Clothing and sports ranging from local community recreational activities to elite Paralympic games. More complex assistive technology devices have also been developed over time, and as a result, sports for persons with disabilities “have changed from being a therapeutic tool to competition activities.
Unfortunately some of this equipment can get pricey but there ore companies and organisations that can assist.
This equipment includes:
1. Sports Prosthesis
The term Sport Prosthesis cover a large range of socket design and components, you may need different equipment and different designs for different sports, whether you are going for the occasional jog, a friendly game of golf, or are a seasoned Paralympian sprinter.
You will require the correct type of Prosthesis fitted to you to insure that at the end your day you do not end up with blisters or pressure sores, leaving you unable to put your limb on or barely able to walk for a few days.
In short you must prepare properly for sports or activities that you intend participating in.
There are a various types of prosthesis available for various sports, which are available from various companies around South Africa.

For more information visit our Walking Aids & Prosthesis – Prosthesis/Prosthetic page or Contact DiSA and we will point you in the right direction.
2. Hand Cycles
A Handcycle/Handbike is a type of tricycle powered by the arms rather than the legs, as with a bicycle. Handcycles are steered & powered by the front wheel, with two coasting rear wheels. Despite this equipment usually having three wheels, they are also known as handbikes. The handcyclists use their torso to help propel & steer the cycle simultaneously and some designs use two front wheels and a single rear wheel, while others use lean-steer designs.
Handcycles are not wheelchairs, they have cranks and gears, while a wheelchair has push-rims directly on the main wheels. Handcycles come in a variety of styles, making them accessible to persons with a wide variety of disabilities. There are also hybrids which are a cross between a handcycle, a recumbent bike and a tricycle.
There are 2 main types of Handcyles, they include The Fork Steer Handcycle and The Lean Steer Hancycles. The Fork steer handcycles represent the majority of handcycles sold. They work well for both low and high-level spinal injuries, and most have adjustable footrests, seat angle, and come with a variety of gearing, wheel and tire configurations depending on intended use, such as racing, recreation or touring.
Lean Steer Riders turn lean steer handcycles by leaning into the turn, there is a longer learning curve with lean steer handcycles and they are significantly less stable at high speeds. Lean steer handcycles can work well for lower-level injuries; although, some athletes with high-level disability use them as well. There are different types of Handcycles that are available to purchase throughout South Africa from various companies, they include products such as:
There are various other types of Handbikes available, if you cannot find what you are looking for, please feel free to
Contact DiSA to find out more.
2. Sports Wheelchairs
i. Basketball Wheelchairs
Basketball Wheelchairs are designed for enhanced stability, the centre of gravity is where the chair and the athlete’s mass are equally distributed in all directions. A wheelchair with a higher seat is more likely to tip, so Basketball Wheelchairs have lower seats and wheels that are angled outward so that the centre of gravity is lower to help prevent the chair from tipping.
The wheelchairs are classified in two groups based on position:
There are wheelchairs for forwards and centres and there are also wheelchairs for guards. Forwards and centres are typically under the net, so their wheelchairs have higher seats and therefore less mobility, but the height increases the player’s reach for shots at the hoop and for rebounds. Guards have lower seats and therefore greater stability for ball handling and getting down the court as quickly as possible.
There are various types of these Basketball Wheelchairs that are available to purchase from companies throughout South Africa and includes products such as:
Available from: be-Able Solutions or contact DiSA for more information.
You can also visit our Wheelchair Basketball page to find out more about Wheelchair Basketball, including the rules and classifications.
ii. Quad Rugby Wheelchairs
Quad Rugby is played in a Manual Wheelchair that has been specially custom-manufactured for the sport.
The rules include detailed specifications for the wheelchair. This include a Front Bumper, designed to help strike and hold opposing wheelchairs, and Wings, which are positioned in front of the main wheels to make the wheelchair more difficult to stop and hold.
All wheelchairs must be equipped with spoke protectors, to prevent damage to the wheels, and an anti-tip device at the back. New players and players in developing countries sometimes play in wheelchairs that have been adapted for wheelchair rugby by the addition of temporary bumpers and wings.
There are various types of Rugby Wheelchairs available in South Africa, including:

Quad Rugby players also use a regulation volleyball typically of a ‘soft-touch’ design, with a slightly textured surface to provide a better grip. These balls are normally over-inflated compared to a volleyball, to provide a better bounce. Players also use a variety of other personal equipment, such as gloves and applied adhesives to assist with ball handling due to their usually impaired gripping ability, as well as various forms of strapping to maintain a good seating position.
Contact DiSA to find out what is available and where to purchase it, or visit our Wheelchair Rugby page to find out more about Wheelchair Rugby.
iii. Table Tennis Wheelchairs
iv. Tennis Wheelchairs
These Tennis Wheelchairs are available to purchase from various companies around South Africa including be-Able Solutions, contact them to find out more –
For more information: Contact DiSA or visit our Wheelchair Tennis page to find out more.
iv. Racing Wheelchairs
Racing Wheelchairs are a necessary piece of equipment for athletes in wheelchairs competing in Wheelchair Racing and in Triathlons. These chairs are available in various makes and styles and are normally very lightweight & have pneumatic tires. The dimensions and features on the wheelchairs are clearly specified in the IPC Athletics rules.
There are rules for each event regarding the athletes’ equipment such as the Wheelchair, these rules therefore dictate how the wheelchair shall look and include the following specifications:
4. Golf Wheelchairs and ParaGolfers
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players (or golfers) use different types of clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes. Disability golf classification is used to guarantee that no matter your disability, you can compete on an even footing, it is used for deaf golf, blind golf, amputee golf, golf for the mentally challenged, paraplegic golf and other forms of golf involving persons with disabilities. There are also a variety of different types of equipment which can be used to assist persons with disabilities to be able to compete in Golf.
Some of this equipment which was designed to assist persons with Mobility Impairments to play golf, is available to purchase from companies in South Africa such as Steenkamp Orthotics and Prosthetics Inc., this equipment includes products such as:
3. Exercise, Therapy and Rehabilitation Equipment
Rehabilitation is a step-by-step process that helps persons to recover and to function as effectively as possible after a life-changing event. For persons with Mobility Impairments, this may include getting them moving again, helping them regain their strength, relearning old skills, or finding new and different ways of doing tasks that they used to be able to do.
There are a wide variety of Standing and Walking equipment, as well as therapy, exercise and strengthening equipment that is available to purchase in South Africa from various companies such as Sitwell Technologies, WHASCP Fitness and ShonaquipSE.
This equipment includes:
1. Standing and Walking Equipment
Rehabilitation is a step-by-step process that helps persons to recover and to function as effectively as possible after a life-changing event. For persons with Mobility Impairments, this may include getting them moving again, helping them regain their strength, relearning old skills, or finding new and different ways of doing tasks that they used to be able to do.
There are a wide variety of Standing and Walking equipment, as well as therapy, exercise and strengthening equipment that is available to purchase in South Africa from various companies such as Sitwell Technologies, WHASCP Fitness and ShonaquipSE.
This equipment includes:
Are available as both Manual and Motorized Wheelchairs. Visit our Standing Wheelchairs section below to find out more
Parallel Bars can be used with or without a walking harness. Visit our Parallel Bars section below to find out more
Body Weight Supported Trainers used for the rehabilitation of gait training, motor function and the strengthening of the muscular system. Visit our Body Weight Supported Trainer section below to find out more
Is a free standing vertical stander, designed to enable people to be safely raised from sitting to a standing position and then be positively supported during their standing rehab program. Visit our Standing Frames section below to find out more
Tilt Tables: are used by those who need support to re-adjust to standing, from the lying position, thus giving multiple physical and psychological health benefits. Visit our Tilt Tables section below to find out more
2. Therapy Equipment
Therapy equipment encompasses a wide range of tools and devices used by healthcare professionals, psychologists, counsellors, and other therapists to assist in the assessment, treatment, and support of individuals dealing with various physical, mental, emotional, or behavioural issues.
These tools are designed to promote the well-being, recovery, or personal Therapy Equipment growth of individuals and are available in South Africa, including:
This equipment includes:
3. Exercise Equipment
There is a wide variety of exercise equipment that you can purchase in South Africa from companies such as WHASCP Fitness, so that you can exercise in the comfort of your own home.
This equipment includes products such as: WHASCP Adaptive Hands; WHASCP Adaptive Kettle Bags; WHASCP Rage Rope and WHASCP Sandbags; Medicine Balls; Stretch ropes (TheraBand’s); WHASCP Fitness Dumbbells and Wrist or Ankle Weights.
View the Accordion Menus below to find out more:
4. Cardiovascular Equipment
Cardiovascular exercises raise your heart rate and breathing rate into the moderate-to-vigorous intensity level for 10 minutes or more. Common cardio exercises include brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and cross-country skiing. This however is not always possible for persons with Mobility Impairments, especially those who use wheelchairs.
There are however different activities that persons in wheelchairs can participate in that offers good Cardiovascular activities, including Sports such as Handcycling, Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming, Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Racing, as well as activities such as Pushing yourself in the wheelchair, Rowing and Handcycling on a Handcycle machine.
There are various types of these Handcycle machines that are available to be purchased from companies throughout South Africa and includes products such as:
Disclaimers and References
Simplified Summary
Sports, exercise, and rehabilitation aids page provides details of products that help people with physical impairments build strength, improve mobility, and support recovery through safe, adaptive physical activity.






















