How does moderate upper limb activity modify sitting forces for able-bodied persons and wheelchair users?
Creators: name: Paquin, Clémence
name: Gelis, Anthony
name: Dubuis, Laura
name: Ciancia, Sophie
name: Chenu, Olivier
name: Duprey, Sonia
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Medicine
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Physiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Mental Health
subject: Computational Biology

description: Most people with a spinal cord injury are concerned by pressure injuries (PrI). Since dynamic activities may involve distributions of forces over time that are different from static and given the significant impact of PrIs on healthcare costs, it is, important to study these sitting forces. We aim to investigate sitting forces (overall normal, shear forces and Peak Pressure Index (PPI)) assessed in both able-bodied and wheelchair users (WCU) under static and dynamic conditions. Our hypothesis is that wheelchair sitting forces encountered by able-bodied participants are significantly different from those of WCUs. An experimental seat and a pressure mapping system were used to investigate forces in two different populations, 102 able-bodied and 15 WCUs, in static conditions and during synchronised hand-cycling. The analysis includes statistical comparisons of the sitting conditions (static/dynamic) and of the populations (able-bodied/WCUs). Significant differences in normal forces and PPI were observed between able-bodied and WCUs; conversely, differences in shear forces were non-significant. This suggests that contrary to shear forces, no conclusion on normal forces drawn from trials with healthy participants can directly be applied to WCUs. Secondly, the present results indicate significant reduced averaged: normal force, PPI, and shear forces for able-bodied performing a dynamic activity compared to static sitting. WCUs experienced non-significant lower averaged normal force and PPI but significant lower averaged shear forces. While the present results seem to indicate lower forces for able-bodied performing a dynamic activity compared to static sitting, due to reduced averaged forces, this conclusion is less clear-cut for WCUs. The present observational study can help understand the specific characteristics of wheelchair users concerning the biomechanical sitting load in rest and during propulsive activity: the shear forces are reduced during activity compared to static conditions.From the data collected in the present study, it seems that no conclusion on normal sitting forces drawn from trials with healthy participants can directly be applied to wheelchair users. The present observational study can help understand the specific characteristics of wheelchair users concerning the biomechanical sitting load in rest and during propulsive activity: the shear forces are reduced during activity compared to static conditions. From the data collected in the present study, it seems that no conclusion on normal sitting forces drawn from trials with healthy participants can directly be applied to wheelchair users.