A kinetic analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion during start-up on select indoor and outdoor surfaces

Koontz, AM and Cooper, RA and Boninger, ML and Yang, Y and Impink, BG and Van Der Woude, LHV (2005) A kinetic analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion during start-up on select indoor and outdoor surfaces. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 42 (4). 447 - 458. ISSN 0748-7711

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to conduct a kinetic analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion during start-up on select indoor and outdoor surfaces. Eleven manual wheelchairs were fitted with a SMARTWheel and their users were asked to push on a course consisting of high- and low-pile carpet, indoor tile, interlocking concrete pavers, smooth level concrete, grass, hardwood flooring, and a sidewalk with a 5-degree grade. Peak resultant force, wheel torque, mechanical effective force, and maximum resultant force rate of rise were analyzed during start-up for each surface and normalized relative to their steady-state values on the smooth level concrete. Additional variables included peak velocity, distance traveled, and number of strokes in the first 5 s of the trial. We compared biomechanical data between surfaces using repeated-measures mixed models and paired comparisons with a Bonferroni adjustment. Applied resultant force (p = 0.0154), wheel torque (p < 0.0001), and mechanical effective force (p = 0.0047) were significantly different between surfaces. The kinetic values for grass, interlocking pavers, and ramp ascent were typically higher compared with tile, wood, smooth level concrete, and high- and low-pile carpet. Users were found to travel shorter distances up the ramp and across grass (p < 0.0025) and had a higher stroke count on the ramp (p = 0.0124). While peak velocity was not statistically different, average velocity was slower for the ramp and grass, which indicates greater wheelchair/user deceleration between strokes. The differences noted between surfaces highlight the importance of evaluating wheelchair propulsion ability over a range of surfaces.

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Details

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
Creators/Authors:	Creators Email Pitt Username ORCID Koontz, AM akoontz@pitt.edu AKOONTZ Cooper, RA RCOOPER@pitt.edu RCOOPER Boninger, ML boninger@pitt.edu BONINGER Yang, Y Impink, BG Van Der Woude, LHV
Centers:	Other Centers, Institutes, Offices, or Units > Human Engineering Research Laboratories
Date:	1 July 2005
Date Type:	Publication
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
Volume:	42
Number:	4
Page Range:	447 - 458
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.1682/jrrd.2004.08.0106
Schools and Programs:	School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Rehabilitation Science and Technology
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0748-7711
MeSH Headings:	Adult; Amputation--rehabilitation; Architectural Accessibility; Equipment Design; Ergometry; Female; Floors and Floorcoverings--classification; Humans; Kinetics; Male; Materials Testing; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis--rehabilitation; Spinal Cord Injuries--rehabilitation; Surface Properties; Torque; Wheelchairs
PubMed ID:	16320141
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2012 14:09
Last Modified:	22 Jun 2021 13:55
URI:	http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15768

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