Analysis of Whole-Body Vibrations of Suspension Manual Wheelchairs: Utilization of the Absorbed Power Method
By Wolf, Eric; Cooper, Rory A., PhD; Kwarciak, Andrew; Proceedings of the RESNA 25th International Conference, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 303-305Publication Date: June/July 2002
Study investigating if suspension manual wheelchairs can reduce whole-body vibrations, which can cause secondary injuries to the musculoskeletal system of manual wheelchair users. Six wheelchairs were tested in the study. Three were suspension manual wheelchairs (the Quickie XTR, the Invacare A&S, and the Colours Boing), and three were standard manual wheelchairs (the Invacare Action Xtra, the E&J Epic, and the Quickie 2). A male with a spinal cord injury at the T7/8 level with over 20 years of manual wheelchair experience participated in the study. Three sets of instrumentation were used to collect data from the tested system: (1) a seat-plate accelerometer, (2) a bite-bar accelerometer, and the SMARTHub. The SMARTHub is a device that measures the amount of force experienced by the wheelchair at the rear wheel hub. The participant descended three curbs of increasing height. Each sequence of curbs was randomly chosen and navigated three times with each chair. The results indicated that no difference was found in absorbed power between the two types of wheelchairs.
Assistive Products Discussed: QUICKIE 2
BOING!
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
ISBN: 00-932101-44-5
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number O14551
