Wheelchair propulsion efficienty was measured for eight active male wheelchair users including seven paraplegics with lesions from T6,7 to L5,S1 incomplete and one high AK unilateral amputee. The means of age and weight for this group were 28.3 + 1.4 years and 69.4 + 5.0 kg, respectively. They performed series of 4-minute bouts of simulated wheelchair propulsion with levers on a motor-compensated wheelchair dynamometer. The simulated conditions included bouts at nominal speeds of 2.3, 4.7, 7.0, and 9.3 Km/Hr with corresponding power outputs of 10, 20, 30, and 40 watts with 0.3M levers. Additional bouts were performed at speeds of 4.3, 7.0, an 9.3 Km/Hr with 0.25 M levers, at 4.3 Km/Hr with 0.45 M levers, and at 4.3 Km/Hr at power outputs of 31 and 42 watts with 0.35 M levers. Each of these conditions was performed with gear ratios of 1:1, 1.6:1 and 2:1. Comparisons of the various conditions revealed that higher performance efficiencies were consistent with higher gear ratios, with shorter levers and with higher torques. The values of efficiencies obtained were uniformly higher (and in some instances more than twice as high) than efficiencies reported in the literature for rim propulsion under comparable conditions. The highest mean efficiency, 16.33 +/- 0.77 %, was obtained for the simulated condition of 4.3 Km/Hr at a 2 degree incline.
Lever propulsion in wheelchair performance
Hebelantrieb in der Rollstuhlausfuehrung
1983
3 Seiten, 4 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 9 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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