OBJECTIVE To examine intra-individual variability of kinetic and temporal-spatial parameters of wheelchair propulsion as a function of shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users (MWUs). DESIGN Cohort. SETTING University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Adults with physical disabilities (N=26) who use a manual wheelchair for mobility full time (>80% ambulation). INTERVENTIONS Participants...

A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used to compare pre- and posttraining biomechanical and physiological characteristics of wheelchair propulsion in manual wheelchair users (MWCU) across fresh and fatigue states. An instrumented wheelchair ergometer, 3D motion analysis, and computerized open-circuit spirometry were used to collect joint kinetics and kinematics, handrim kinetics, propu...

To study the effect of seat height on the cardiorespiratory system and kinematics in handrim wheelchair ambulation, nine non-wheelchair users participated in a wheelchair exercise experiment on a motor-driven treadmill. The subjects conducted five progressive exercise tests. After an initial try-out test, four tests were performed at different standardized seat heights of 100, 120, 140, and 160...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of workload setting (speed at constant power, method to impose power) on the propulsion technique (i.e. force and timing characteristics) in handrim wheelchair propulsion. METHOD Twelve able-bodied men participated in this study. External forces were measured during handrim wheelchair propulsion on a motor driven treadmill at different velocities and con...

Prevalence rates of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in the wheelchair user population are high. One of the possible causes of CTS in this population is the movement pattern of the wrist during handrim wheelchair propulsion, which could include large wrist joint angles and wrist/finger flexor activity. Combined with the repetitive character of the movement, this could, in time, be detrimental to th...

The responses of 28 spinal cord injured wheelchair users who tested a contoured handrim design were analyzed. Paraplegics, who had stronger grip strength, preferred the contoured design compared with their own handrims in 10 of 12 circumstances of use, as well as according to overall assessment. Most indicated they would pay the estimated additional cost to produce the test shape, which is desi...

− We developed a protocol for the assessment of manual wheelchair set-up and propulsion in a common clinical motion analysis laboratory. We also designed a device to detect hand contact on handrim. In a first phase, we took anthropometric and wheelchair geometric measures. Later, subjects propelled the wheelchair and, based on the experimental data on subjects’ movements and their effect on whe...