TY - JOUR
T1 - Glenohumeral joint dynamics and shoulder muscle activity during geared manual wheelchair propulsion on carpeted floor in individuals with spinal cord injury
AU - Jahanian, Omid
AU - Schnorenberg, Alyssa J.
AU - Muqeet, Vaishnavi
AU - Hsiao-Wecksler, Elizabeth T.
AU - Slavens, Brooke A.
N1 - Brooke Slavens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Technology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the Director of the Movement Analysis for Biomedical Innovation & Technology (Mobility) Lab. Dr. Slavens received her B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Dr. Slavens completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Mobility through the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Engineering Center (OREC) at Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her research interests include pediatric mobility, upper extremity motion analysis, wheelchair biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, and orthopaedic biomechanics.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (United States) under Award Number R44HD071653 . Support was also provided by a graduate student research grant from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Health Sciences . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - This study investigated the effects of using geared wheels on glenohumeral joint dynamics and shoulder muscle activity during manual wheelchair propulsion. Seven veterans with spinal cord injury propelled their wheelchairs equipped with geared wheels over a carpeted floor in low gear (1.5:1) and standard gear (1:1) conditions. Hand-rim kinetics, glenohumeral joint dynamics, and muscle activity were measured using a custom instrumented geared wheel, motion analysis, and surface electromyography. Findings indicated that the propulsion speed and stroke distance decreased significantly during the low gear condition. The peak hand-rim resultant force and propulsive moment, as well as the peak glenohumeral inferior force and flexion moment, were significantly less during the low gear condition. The peak and integrated muscle activity of the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major decreased significantly, while the normalized integrated muscle activity (muscle activity per stroke distance) was not significantly different between the two conditions. Propulsion on carpeted floor in the low gear condition was accompanied by a reduced perception of effort. The notable decrease in the peak shoulder loading and muscle activity suggests that usage of geared wheels may be beneficial for wheelchair users to enhance independent mobility in their homes and communities while decreasing their shoulder demands.
AB - This study investigated the effects of using geared wheels on glenohumeral joint dynamics and shoulder muscle activity during manual wheelchair propulsion. Seven veterans with spinal cord injury propelled their wheelchairs equipped with geared wheels over a carpeted floor in low gear (1.5:1) and standard gear (1:1) conditions. Hand-rim kinetics, glenohumeral joint dynamics, and muscle activity were measured using a custom instrumented geared wheel, motion analysis, and surface electromyography. Findings indicated that the propulsion speed and stroke distance decreased significantly during the low gear condition. The peak hand-rim resultant force and propulsive moment, as well as the peak glenohumeral inferior force and flexion moment, were significantly less during the low gear condition. The peak and integrated muscle activity of the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major decreased significantly, while the normalized integrated muscle activity (muscle activity per stroke distance) was not significantly different between the two conditions. Propulsion on carpeted floor in the low gear condition was accompanied by a reduced perception of effort. The notable decrease in the peak shoulder loading and muscle activity suggests that usage of geared wheels may be beneficial for wheelchair users to enhance independent mobility in their homes and communities while decreasing their shoulder demands.
KW - Electromyography
KW - Geared manual wheelchair wheel
KW - Glenohumeral joint
KW - Manual wheelchair mobility
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Shoulder biomechanics
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jelekin.2019.05.019
DO - 10.1016/j.jelekin.2019.05.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 31178393
AN - SCOPUS:85066781846
SN - 1050-6411
VL - 62
JO - Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology
JF - Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology
M1 - 102318
ER -