Abasiophilia

Abasiophilia is a psychosexual attraction to people with impaired mobility, especially those who use orthopedic appliances such as leg braces, orthopedic casts, spinal braces, or wheelchairs. The term abasiophilia was first used by John Money of the Johns Hopkins University in a paper on paraphilias in 1990.

It is classed as a form of disability fetishism which starts in early childhood, usually long before puberty is reached. There is normally a trigger event in early childhood involving disabled children or adults. It is most common in those who were children in the 1940s, 50s and 60s when Polio was common and there were more people using leg braces than today. Studies made in the last 10 years of people contributing to internet leg-brace devotee groups confirms the most common age of leg-brace devotees and wannabes as between 50 and 70; there are few leg-brace devotees aged less than 40.

More recently, some have suggested that abasiophilia is a form of Body Integrity Identity Disorder, usually associated with people wishing to electively become amputees. The stimuli for abasiophilia are usually leg-braces, wheelchairs, crutches, spinal or neck braces and prosthetics worn by some people with mobility impairments.