As World War II progressed, Guttmann realized that he ought to flee Germany. He eventually managed to sneak out of the land of his birth, and he then made his way to England. In England he became a research fellow at Oxford.
While at Oxford, Guttmann could not ignore the large number of men with spinal injuries, men who had returned from battles on the European Continent. Guttmann felt compelled to do something for those men. He established a spinal injuries center.
Now when Guttmann opened his spinal injuries center he had never given thought to the advantages of wheelchair sports. At that time, Guttmann focused his attention on the primary needs of the men who had suffered spinal injuries. Spinal injuries often caused the injured men to develop kidney malfunctions. Forced bed rest increased the risk for development of bed sores on the patients of the spinal center.
With diligent research and study, Guttmann found a way to control the two most common problems found among the patients with spinal injuries. Having found a way to control those problems, Guttmann then looked for ways to prevent their occurrence. The innovative Guttmann succeeded in eliminating many of the factors that had caused both kidney malfunctions and bed sores.
Having improved the physical health of the men at the spinal injuries center, Guttmann began to pay closer attention to their mental health. He found that they seemed very isolated from the rest of society. Guttmann wanted to dispel that feeling of isolation. That desire planted the idea that led to the development of wheelchair sports.
Guttmann introduced his patients to various sports. He arranged for the men in wheel chairs to take part in a small archery tournament. He also encouraged the men in wheel chairs to play table tennis. Later Guttmann began to explore the manner by which men in wheelchairs could take part in team sports.
At that point in time, the game of basketball was still evolving. Guttmann had available to him information on the original basketball rules. Guttmann felt such rules were the best rules to use for a basketball game, a game during which the players remained in a wheelchair. Guttmann soon had his patients playing basketball.
Today society enjoys the entertainment provided by wheelchair sports. Wheelchairs are an accepted site at all sporting events. On the afternoon of Thursday, November 15, 2007, during a soccer game in Shiraz, Iran, at least three of the spectators arrived in a wheelchair.
Those who viewed that game on TV caught a scene in which that small group of wheelchairs was together at the side of the playing field. The men in the wheelchairs held up signs, showing support for the team that they favored.