Getting Back in the Game: A Veterans Day Guide to Adaptive Sports and What to Wear

Veterans Day is a good moment to talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: what comes after the injury, the surgery, or the fitting. For a lot of veterans, the answer is sport. Adaptive skiing, cycling, archery, wheelchair basketball, track and field, sled hockey. Getting back into a sport is often how people rebuild strength, find a team again, and start to feel like themselves. It's a comeback, and it usually starts long before anyone stands on a podium.

This guide covers where veterans can find adaptive sports, what a first season tends to look like, and how to dress for it when you're training around a prosthetic, a brace, or a healing limb.

The VA runs national adaptive sports events every year, including the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the National Veterans Golden Age Games, and the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. Many VA medical centers also have recreation therapy programs that can help you try a sport locally before committing to a big event.

Outside the VA, nonprofits like Move United, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and local adaptive sports clubs run clinics, leagues, and equipment loan programs. If you're not sure where to start, your recreation therapist, physical therapist, or prosthetist is usually the fastest route to a local program.

Expect a lot of adjusting. Your limb volume will change as your activity level goes up, which means your socket fit, liner, and socks may need attention more often than they did when you were less active. Many athletes end up with a dedicated sports prosthesis or brace over time, but most start with what they already have and a few modifications.

Expect to be on and off your device more than usual, too: adjusting between drills, checking your skin after a long session, swapping a running blade for your everyday leg. That's where clothing starts to matter more than you'd think.

Look for pants that let you get to your device without taking them off. A zipper that runs the full length of the inseam means you can adjust a socket, check a liner, or loosen a brace strap right on the sideline, then zip back up and keep going. Four-way stretch fabric moves with you through squats, lunges, and transfers, and reinforced fabric at the socket edge holds up to the rubbing that wears through ordinary joggers fast.

Aurushi's Kintsugi™ Jogger was designed around exactly these training days: full-length inseam zippers for quick access, abrasion-tested fabric where hardware meets cloth, and a tailored athletic fit that works as well at the gym as it does at dinner afterward.

Big adaptive sports events usually mean flights, shuttles, and long days on your feet. Pack spare liners and socks in a couple of different plies, a charger for any powered components, and clothing you can adjust at a security checkpoint or in a cramped seat without changing. Our guide to traveling with a prosthetic or brace covers packing and airport security in more detail.

• Ask your prosthetist or orthotist about a socket and component check before you ramp up activity
• Bring spare liners or socks for the volume changes that come with more activity
• Pack skin care: barrier cream, blister care, and anything your clinician recommends
• Wear pants you can open at the inseam so you can adjust without undressing
• Plan rest days. Your skin and your limb need recovery time just like your muscles

To every veteran getting back into the game this year: we're cheering for you. If you're putting together your training kit, the Kintsugi™ Jogger is built for it, with full-length inseam zippers, reinforced fabric at the socket edge, and stretch that moves with you. It works with your HSA/FSA card through Flex*, ships free in the U.S., and comes with 30-day returns and free exchanges.*HSA/FSA eligibility requires a brief telehealth consultation through Flex.