The Compact Wheelchair Roller Dynamometer

Abstract

The equipment for evaluating the propulsion of a wheelchair is very complex and expensive. To validate a new dynamometer prototype for assessing the propulsion capacity of wheelchairs, 21 healthy subjects (age: 20.9±2.4 yr; weight: 68.9±7.9 kg; height: 174.0±7.1 cm; BMI: 22.7±2.5 kg·m⁻²) who do not normally require wheelchairs performed a sprint protocol for 20 s after a 1-min warm-up. The power and rotation data acquired by the prototype (both right and left sides) were compared with those of a reference system via high-speed videography (240 fps). The results showed high levels of accordance (95% CI), excellent values for the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC: .99; P<0.00), no significant differences in the rotation (P=0.91) and power (P=0.94) between the methods. The proposed equipment met the validation criteria and thus can be applied as a new tool for assessing wheelchair propulsion.

Key words

people with disabilities - locomotion - effort test - therapeutic exercise

• References

• 1 Atkinson G, Nevill AM. Statistical methods for assessing measurement error (reliability) in variables relevant to sports medicine. Sports Med 1998; 26: 217-238
• 2 Cooper RA, Robertson RN, VanSickle DP, Boninger ML, Shimada SD. Methods for determining three-dimensional wheelchair pushrim forces and moments: a technical note. J Rehabil Res Dev 1997; 34: 162-170
• 3 Cooper RA. SMARTWheel: From concept to clinical practice. Prosthet Orthot Int 2009; 33: 198-209
• 4 Dantas JL, Pereira G, Nakamura FY. Five-kilometers time trial: preliminary validation of a short test for cycling performance evaluation. Asian J Sports Med 2015; 6: e23802
• 5 DiGiovine CP, Cooper RA, Boninger ML. Dynamic calibration of a wheelchair dynamometer. J Rehabil Res Dev 2001; 38: 41-56
• 6 Devillard X, Calmels P, Sauvignet B, Belli A, Denis C, Simard C, Gautheron V. Validation of a new ergometer adapted to all types of manual wheelchair. Eur J Appl. Physiol 2001; 85: 479-485
• 7 Dewitte K, Fierens C, Stöckl D, Thienpont LM. Application of the Bland–Altman plot for interpretation of method-comparison studies: a critical investigation of its practice. Clin Chemistry 2002; 48: 799-801
• 8 Faupin A, Campillo P, Weissland T, Gorce P, Thevenon A. The effects of rear-wheel camber on the mechanical parameters produced during the wheelchair sprinting of handibasketball athletes. J Rehabil Res Dev 2004; 41: 421-428
• 9 Faupin A, Gorce P, Thevenon A. A wheelchair ergometer adaptable to the rear-wheel camber. Int J Ind Ergon 2008; 38: 601-607
• 10 Finley MA, Rasch EK, Keyser RE, Rodgers MM. The biomechanics of wheelchair propulsion in individuals with and without upper-limb impairment. J Rehabil Res Dev 2004; 41: 385-394
• 11 Gil-Agudo A, Del Ama-Espinosa A, Pérez-Rizo E, Pérez-Nombela S, Rodríguez-Rodríguez LP. Upper limb joint kinetics during manual wheelchair propulsion in patients with different levels of spinal cord injury. J Biomech 2010; 43: 2508-2515
• 12 Goosey-Tolfrey V, Castle P, Webborn N. Aerobic capacity and peak power output of elite quadriplegic games players. Br J Sports Med 2006; 40: 684-687
• 13 Hall SJ, Taranto G. Biomecânica básica. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan; 2000
• 14 Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000; 30: 1-15
• 15 Hu X, Blemker SS. Musculoskeletal simulation can help explain selective muscle degeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Muscle Nerve 2015; 52: 174-182
• 16 Hughes TC, Coleman T, Hellar DB, Vega LC, Patterson ES. Web application dashboards from intelligence analysis to health care: applying the open-source OZONE widget framework to health IT. Proc Int Symp Hum Factors Ergon Healthc 2014; 3: 186-190
• 17 Jaspers E, Monari D, Molenaers G, Feys H, Desloovere K. ULEMA—Upper limb evaluation in movement analysis: Open-source custom made MATLAB based software. Gait Posture 2014; 39: S76-S77
• 18 Keyser RE, Rasch EK, Finley M, Rodgers MM. Improved upper-body endurance following a 12-week home exercise program for manual wheelchair users. J Rehabil Res Dev 2003; 40: 01-510
• 19 Kwarciak AM, Turner JT, Guo L, Richter WM. The effects of four different stroke patterns on manual wheelchair propulsion and upper limb muscle strain. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2012; 7: 459-463
• 20 Kwarciak AM, Yarossi M, Ramanujam A, Dyson-Hudson TA, Sisto SA. Evaluation of wheelchair tire rolling resistance using dynamometer-based coast-down tests. J Rehabil Res Dev 2009; 46: 931-938
• 21 Lemaire ED, Lamontagne M, Barclay HW, John T, Martel G. A technique for the determination of center of gravity and rolling resistance for tilt-seat wheelchairs. J Rehabil Res Dev 1991; 28: 51-58
• 22 Lenton JP, van der Woude L, Fowler N, Goosey-Tolfrey V. Effects of arm frequency during synchronous and asynchronous wheelchair propulsion on efficiency. Int J Sports Med 2009; 30: 233-239
• 23 Motl RW, Fernhall B. Accurate prediction of cardiorespiratory fitness using cycle ergometry in minimally disabled persons with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2012; 93: 490-495
• 24 Morrow MM, Kaufman KR, An KN. Shoulder model validation and joint contact forces during wheelchair activities. J Biomech 2010; 43: 2487-2492
• 25 Myles PS, Cui JI. Using the Bland-Altman method to measure agreement with repeated measures. Br J Anaesth 2007; 99: 309-311
• 26 Niesing R, Eijskoot F, Kranse R, den Ouden AH, Storm J, Veeger HE, Snijders CJ. Computer-controlled wheelchair ergometer. Med Biol Eng Comput 1990; 28: 329-338
• 27 Pupo HC, Ziemath EC. Determinação do momento de inércia de um volante usando um faiscador. Cad Braz Ens Fis 2004; 21: 69-75
• 28 Rice I, Gagnon D, Gallagher J, Boninger M. Hand rim wheelchair propulsion training using biomechanical real-time visual feedback based on motor learning theory principles. J Spinal Cord Med 2010; 33: 33
• 29 Schmidt A, Huonker M, Stober P, Barturen JM, Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Dürr H, Keul J. Physical performance and cardiovascular and metabolic adaptation of elite female wheelchair basketball players in wheelchair ergometry and in competition. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 1998; 77: 527-533
• 30 Shimada SD, Cooper RA, Lawrence B, Robertson RN. (1995, September). Computer controlled wheelchair dynamometer. In Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE 17th Annual Conference 1995; 2: 1177-1178
• 31 Theisen D, Francaux M, Fayt A, Sturbois X. A new procedure to determine external power output during handrim wheelchair propulsion on a roller ergometer: A reliability study. Int J Sports Med 1996; 17: 564-571
• 32 Van der Scheer JW, de Groot S, Postema K, Veeger DH, van der Woude LH. Design of a randomized-controlled trial on low-intensity aerobic wheelchair exercise for inactive persons with chronic spinal cord injury. Disabil Rehabil 2013; 35: 1119-1126
• 33 van der Woude LH, Veeger HE, Dallmeijer AJ, Janssen TW, Rozendaal LA. Biomechanics and physiology in active manual wheelchair propulsion. Med Eng Phys 2001; 23: 713-733
• 34 Vincent W, Weir J. Statistics in kinesiology. Human Kinetics, 4ª ED 2000
• 35 Weir JP. Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. J Strength Cond Res 2005; 19: 231-240
• 36 Teran E, Ueda J. Influence of rolling resistance on manual wheelchair dynamics and mechanical efficiency. Int J Intell Robot Appl 2016; 1-19
• 37 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sports and exercise science research: 2016 update. Int J Sports Med 2015; 36: 1121-1124