Both the propulsion technique of the manual wheelchair user and the wheelchair design and setup have major effects on the biomechanics of the user-wheelchair system. Despite major improvements in technology, propulsion technique is still not very well understood. It can stated, however, that three basic qualities of the user-wheelchair system determine the performance: the user, who produces the energy for propulsion, the vehicle mechanics of the wheelchair, which determine power requirements to move forward or backward, and the wheelchair-user interaction, which determines the efficiency of the power or force transfer from the user to the wheelchair (Woude, 2001).
Propulsion technique is highly dependent upon the type of wheelchair used …show more content…
When using a less efficient manual wheelchair, a user must exert higher peak forces and effort in order accomplish the same movement with a more efficient chair (Liles et al., 2014). This contributes to increased fatigue and increases the risk for upper extremity injuries. The ability to predetermine the mechanical efficiency of a wheelchair and its compatibility with a potential user allows users to make better purchases and theoretically prevent the need to follow-up for adjustments and alterations as well as prevent the need for therapy or orthopedic care.
David Lindenberg et al. developed a wheelchair prototype to test to see if changing the horizontal position of the pushrims would alter shoulder biomechanics. Their study, which consisted of two-dimensional projections of shoulder angles during propulsion with the pushrims set at two different horizontal positions using an eight-camera capture system. They concluded that when the pushrims were positioned anteriorly to the user that shoulder extension and abduction were reduced (Lindenberg et al., …show more content…
Designed to accommodate the anthropometry of an American male of 50th percentile in height and 95th percentile in mass, it has a dedicated pushrim to be attached to all wheelchairs during testing (Woude, 2001). It accurately measures velocity and force data to evaluate mechanical efficiency of a manual wheelchair (Woude, 2001).
Software-based models have begun to take prevalence in this field of research as well. Researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark have developed several biomechanical models using the AnyBody Modeling System (Dubowsky, 2008). These musculoskeletal models simulate the relationships between the magnitude of shoulder joint forces throughout propulsion and other factors such as the relative rear-axle placement (Dubowsky, 2008). These tools can be used to help prescribe the appropriate wheelchair to a given user by predicting and then minimizing injury
Propulsion technique is highly dependent upon the type of wheelchair used …show more content…
When using a less efficient manual wheelchair, a user must exert higher peak forces and effort in order accomplish the same movement with a more efficient chair (Liles et al., 2014). This contributes to increased fatigue and increases the risk for upper extremity injuries. The ability to predetermine the mechanical efficiency of a wheelchair and its compatibility with a potential user allows users to make better purchases and theoretically prevent the need to follow-up for adjustments and alterations as well as prevent the need for therapy or orthopedic care.
David Lindenberg et al. developed a wheelchair prototype to test to see if changing the horizontal position of the pushrims would alter shoulder biomechanics. Their study, which consisted of two-dimensional projections of shoulder angles during propulsion with the pushrims set at two different horizontal positions using an eight-camera capture system. They concluded that when the pushrims were positioned anteriorly to the user that shoulder extension and abduction were reduced (Lindenberg et al., …show more content…
Designed to accommodate the anthropometry of an American male of 50th percentile in height and 95th percentile in mass, it has a dedicated pushrim to be attached to all wheelchairs during testing (Woude, 2001). It accurately measures velocity and force data to evaluate mechanical efficiency of a manual wheelchair (Woude, 2001).
Software-based models have begun to take prevalence in this field of research as well. Researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark have developed several biomechanical models using the AnyBody Modeling System (Dubowsky, 2008). These musculoskeletal models simulate the relationships between the magnitude of shoulder joint forces throughout propulsion and other factors such as the relative rear-axle placement (Dubowsky, 2008). These tools can be used to help prescribe the appropriate wheelchair to a given user by predicting and then minimizing injury