# Impact of Casters Type on Wheelchair Sprint Performance

Safiya Noury, Bruno Watier, Arnaud Faupin, Ilona Alberca, Lorian Honnorat,
Mathieu Deves

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Safiya Noury, Bruno Watier, Arnaud Faupin, Ilona Alberca, Lorian Honnorat, et al.. Impact of Casters Type on Wheelchair Sprint Performance. Multidisciplinary Biomechanics Journal, 2025, 50th congress of the.., 10.46298/mbj.16249 . hal-05191804v2

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# Impact of Casters Type on Wheelchair Sprint Performance

Safiya Nouryª, Bruno Watierᵇ, c, Arnaud Faupinª,
Ilona Albercaª, Lorian Honnoratª, Mathieu Devesª*

a Laboratoire J-AP2S Université de Toulon, France

b LAAS-CNRS, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, France

c CNRS-AIST, JRL IRL, Tsukuba, Japan

* Corresponding author: mdeves@fft.fr

Received date: 06/04/2025

Accepted date: 27/06/2025

Publication date: 27/10/2025

**Keywords:** biomechanics, sprint test, caster, wheelchair, performance analysis

© 2025 The Authors
Licence CC-BY 4.0
Published by Société de Biomécanique

## 1. Introduction

With the Paralympic Games (PG) having taken place in Paris, research in parasports was encouraged. Among the 22 Paralympic disciplines, 13 are wheelchair sports, representing 86% of the events in the 2024 Games. As a result, wheelchair sports performance has become an increasingly important topic of discussion. High-level sports impose growing demands, whether physiological, technical, or material. Among these factors, manual wheelchair (MWC) propulsion remains the common denominator of all dynamic wheelchair sports and plays a crucial role in both performance optimization and injury prevention. The gross mechanical efficiency of MWC propulsion remains low (2.0 to 10.5%) (Veeger et al., 1992) compared to other modes of locomotion, such as walking (20 to 40%) or cycling (18 to 23%) (Cavagna & Kaneko, 1977). Energy losses during MWC propulsion are partly attributed to the wheelchair itself. Among the sources of energy dissipation, rolling resistance (RR) plays a predominant role (Sauret et al., 2012). The distribution of mass between the front and rear wheels significantly influences RR, with higher loads on the front wheels increasing resistance (Sauret et al., 2012). Casters are essential for multidirectional movement in dynamic sports such as para-badminton or wheelchair basketball, where rotations, abrupt forward and backward movements, and short sprints are frequently observed.

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance in sprints with different types of casters.

Specifically, we aimed to determine whether spherical casters offer performance advantages due to their multi-directional nature, eliminating the need for rotation during direction changes. Additionally, the study by Pomarat et al. (2024) suggests that spherical casters may be particularly beneficial on deformable surfaces (Taraflex) due to their near-point contact surface.

## 2. Methods

The study was conducted with nine able-bodied participants (5 females, 4 males, 25 ± 2 years old), all of whom had prior experience with sports wheelchairs. Three types of caster wheels were tested on a Taraflex surface (Figure 1) using a single multi-sport wheelchair equipped with three caster wheels. The tests were carried out over three days, with a randomized allocation of participants and a different testing order for the caster wheels each day.

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 1.** (a) Roller caster (b) Spherical caster. (c) Skate caster.</figcaption></figure>
The wheelchair was equipped with 25-inch rear wheels, set with a tire pressure of 7 bars and a rear caster tilt of 5 mm relative to the ground. To collect data, three inertial measurement units (IMUs) were placed on the wheelchair: two on the wheels and one on the frame. Each testing session included a 15-minute warm-up phase, followed by a repeated sprint test (6 sprints with 20 seconds of recovery). A 10-minute period was allocated for caster wheel changes. Participants were encouraged to exert maximum effort during each test. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the IMU-derived variables, which were grouped into four categories: performance metrics, propulsion technique parameters, asymmetry, and fatigue index.

## 3. Results and discussion

The results presented correspond to the best sprint out of six trials for each caster condition. Contrary to lab findings (Pomarat et al., 2024), spherical casters resulted in significantly poorer performance. The average maximal velocity was significantly lower with spherical casters compared to both roller (p < 0.001; d = 1.29) and skate (p < 0.001; d = 1.09) casters (Table 1), while no significant difference was observed between roller and skate casters (p = 0.68; d = 0.19). The average velocity was significantly lower with spherical casters compared to both roller (p < 0.001; d = 1.10) and skate (p < 0.001; d = 0.93) casters (Table 1), while no significant difference was observed between roller and skate casters (p = 0.54; d = 0.17). Final sprint time was significantly higher for spherical casters compared to roller (p < 0.001; d = -1.18) and skate (p < 0.001; d = -0.99) (Table 1). Start-phase analysis showed no significant differences in initial acceleration or velocity after the first push. Peak speeds after the second and third pushes were significantly lower with spherical casters. Despite these performance differences, no significant variations were found between casters in propulsion technique (push and recovery times across first pushes and averages), asymmetry, or fatigue index.

These findings suggest that the reduced mobility performance with spherical casters is not attributable to alterations in propulsion technique, at least not based on the measured parameters. Interestingly, these mobility performance outcomes did not align with previously reported values of dissipated power (Pomarat et al., 2024). Several factors may explain this discrepancy. In the prior study, minor misalignment relative to the

direction of travel may have occurred for the roller and skate casters, potentially increasing energy dissipation. Additionally, while the previous work used a maximum applied load of 200 N, our study involved participants weighing up to 80 kg, possibly resulting in greater material deformation. While performance between roller and skate casters was statistically similar, roller caster showed slightly better metrics. This supports Pomarat et al. (2024) and Chan et al. (2018) studies, who found wider casters increase RR due to greater ground contact. However, caution is needed, as skate casters had smaller diameters (52 mm vs. 80 mm), and lower diameter is also associated with higher RR (Sauret et al., 2012).

<table><caption>**Table 1.** Average results for speeds achieved (in m/s), initial acceleration (m/s²) and final time (in s) in the repeated sprint test.</caption><thead><tr><th>Variables</th><th>R</th><th>S</th><th>SP</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>V<sub>max</sub><sup>1</sup></td><td>2,02 ± 0,28</td><td>1,88 ± 0,35</td><td>1,86 ± 0,35</td></tr><tr><td>V<sub>max</sub><sup>2</sup></td><td>2,57 ± 0,36</td><td>2,49 ± 0,41</td><td>2,27 ± 0,43†</td></tr><tr><td>V<sub>max</sub><sup>3</sup></td><td>2,97 ± 0,42</td><td>2,88 ± 0,49</td><td>2,59 ± 0,42†</td></tr><tr><td>V<sub>max</sub></td><td>4,02 ± 0,54</td><td>3,91 ± 0,57</td><td>3,33 ± 0,49†</td></tr><tr><td>V<sub>moy</sub></td><td>2,82 ± 0,42</td><td>2,76 ± 0,49</td><td>2,44 ± 0,41†</td></tr><tr><td>A<sub>moy</sub></td><td>1,43 ± 0,43</td><td>1,48 ± 0,36</td><td>1,3 ± 0,25</td></tr><tr><td>Time</td><td>7,2 ± 0,82</td><td>7,38 ± 0,99</td><td>8,34 ± 0,82†</td></tr></tbody></table>

† means SP < R and SP < S with p<0.05 (R: roller; S: skate; SP: spherical).

## 4. Conclusions

This study evaluated the effect of different casters on sprint performance during dynamic wheelchair propulsion. Contrary to hypotheses and previous lab-based findings, spherical wheels impaired performance significantly, without changes in propulsion technique. These findings underline the need to account for dynamic, real-world conditions when choosing wheelchair components. Future studies will include field tests involving other locomotor tasks, such as turning, to further explore performance implications of caster design.

### Conflict of Interest Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
## Funding

This work was supported by the French government, managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the program "Investissement d'Avenir" for the project PARAPERF with the reference ANR-19-STHP-0005.

## Contributor Roles

SN: Writing-original, Data curation, Methodology; BW, AF: Methodology, Supervision, Validation IA, LH: Data curation, Methodology; MD: Writing-original, AF, BW: Writing-review & editing, Formal analysis

## References

Cavagna, G. A., & Kaneko, M. (1977). Mechanical work and efficiency in level walking and running. *The Journal of Physiology, 268*(2), 467-481. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011866

Chan, F. H. N., Eshraghi, M., Alhazmi, M. A., & Sawatzky, B. J. (2018). The effect of caster types on global rolling resistance in manual wheelchairs on indoor and outdoor surfaces. *Assistive Technology, 30*(4), 176-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2017.1307880

Pomarat, Z., Marsan, T., Faupin, A., Landon, Y., & Watier, B. (2024). Wheelchair caster power losses due to rolling resistance on sports surfaces. *Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 0*(0), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2024.2406450

Sauret, C., Bascou, J., de Saint Rémy, N., Pillet, H., Vaslin, P., & Lavaste, F. (2012). Assessment of field rolling resistance of manual wheelchairs. *Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 49*(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2011.03.0050

Veeger, H. E. J., Van Der Woude, L. H. V., & Rozendal, R. H. (1992). Effect of handrim velocity on mechanical efficiency in wheelchair propulsion. *Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24*(1), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-199201000-00017