Abstract
Several aspects of the design and configuration of manual wheelchairs have been indicated as factors that influence the biomechanics of the upper limbs during manual propulsion. From a kinematic point of view, the angles of the shoulder and elbow are particularly important, as they can reveal potentially harmful joint positions as well as providing information that can complement the analysis of the performance of the propulsion technique. This study investigated the influence of two different designs of manual wheelchairs (rigid frame and foldable frame) on the shoulder and elbow angles during manual propulsion in straightforward and turning trajectories. Eleven subjects without disabilities performed a propulsion protocol comprising a 15-m straightforward sprint and a 2-m radius turn in both clockwise and anticlockwise direction. During the propulsion tests, data of shoulder and elbow angles were collected using accelerometers. The results revealed that manual propulsion with a rigid frame wheelchair may provide more protection as it was related to lower maximum angles of shoulder extension and abduction and elbow flexion-extension range of motion in comparison with the foldable frame chair. Providing a wheelchair design and configuration that reduces the biomechanical risks and increases efficiency may benefit the users’ safety, independence and satisfaction with their wheelchairs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
OMS – Organização Mundial da Saúde: Relatório mundial sobre a deficiência. World Health Organization, The World Bank, SEDPcD, São Paulo, 334 p. (2012)
Laplante, M.P., Kaye, H.S.: Demographics and trends in wheeled mobility equipment use and accessibility in the community. Assist. Technol. 22(1), 3–17 (2010)
Sonenblum, S.E., Sprigle, S., Lopez, R.A.: Manual wheelchair use: bouts of mobility in everyday life. Rehabil. Res. Pract. 2012, 753165 (2012). EPub
Medola, F.O., Elui, V.M., Santana, C.S., Fortulan, C.A.: Aspects of manual wheelchair configuration affecting mobility: a review. J. Phys. Ther. Sci. 26(2), 313–318 (2014)
Alm, M., Saraste, H., Norrbrink, C.: Shoulder pain in persons with thoracic spinal cord injury: prevalence and characteristics. J. Rehabil. Med. 40, 277–283 (2008)
Chaves, E.S., Boninger, M.L., Cooper, R., et al.: Assessing the influence of wheelchair technology on perception of participation in spinal cord injury. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 85, 1854–1858 (2004)
Karmarkar, A.M., Collins, D.M., Kelleher, A., et al.: Manual wheelchair-related mobility characteristics of older adults in nursing homes. Disabil. Rehabil. Assist. Technol. 5, 428–437 (2010)
Bohannon, R.W.: Number of pedometer-assessed steps taken per day by adults: a descriptive meta-analysis. Phys. Ther. 87, 1642–1650 (2007)
Tolerico, M.L., Ding, D., Cooper, R.A., et al.: Assessing mobility characteristics and activity levels of manual wheelchair users. J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 44, 561–571 (2007)
Rice, L.A., Smith, I., Kelleher, A.R., Greenwald, K., Boninger, M.L.: Impact of a wheelchair education protocol based on practice guidelines for preservation of upper-limb function: a randomized trial. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 95(1), 10–19 (2014)
Lundqvist, C., Siosteen, A., Blomstrand, C., Lind, B., Sullivan, M.: Spinal cord injuries: clinical, functional, and emotional status. Spine 16, 78–83 (2014)
Gerhart, K.A., Bergstrom, E., Charlifue, S.W., Menter, R.R., Whiteneck, G.G.: Long-term spinal cord injury: functional changes over time. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 74, 1030–1034 (1993)
Louis, N., Gorce, P.: Surface electromyography activity of upper limb muscle during wheelchair propulsion: influence of wheelchair configuration. Clin. Biomech. 25(9), 879–885 (2010)
Gorce, P., Louis, N.: Wheelchair propulsion kinematics in beginners and expert users: influence of wheelchair settings. Clin. Biomech. (Bristol, Avon) 27, 7–15 (2012)
Paralyzed Veterans of America Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine: Preservation of upper limb function following spinal cord injury: a clinical guideline for health-care professionals. J. Spinal Cord Med. 28, 434–470 (2005)
Medola, F.O., Dao, P.V., Caspall, J.J., Sprigle, S.: Partitioning kinetic energy during freewheeling wheelchair maneuvers. IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 22(2), 326–333 (2014)
Dysterheft, J.L., Rice, I.M., Rice, L.A.: Influence of handrim wheelchair propulsion training in adolescent wheelchair users, a pilot study. Front Bioeng. Biotechnol. 3, 68, 1–7 (2015)
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation, Grant Number 16/05026-6), CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel) and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, under Grant 458740/2013-6) for the financial support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Bertolaccini, G., Sandnes, F., Filho, I., Paschoarelli, L., Medola, F. (2018). A Descriptive Study on the Influence of Wheelchair Design and Movement Trajectory on the Upper Limbs’ Joint Angles. In: Rebelo, F., Soares, M. (eds) Advances in Ergonomics in Design. AHFE 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 588. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60582-1_64
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60582-1_64
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60581-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60582-1
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)