Effect of Seat Height and Angle on Wheelchair Foot Propulsion

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effect of Seat Height and Angle on Wheelchair Foot Propulsion

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06035484
• Other study ID #: HS25835 (H2023:027)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 20, 2023
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: May 2024
• Source: University of Manitoba
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the project is to explore the effect of differences in seat height and seat angle on bilateral foot propulsion using a manual wheelchair. The objectives of the study are to determine whether differences in seat height and seat angle impact: a) propulsion speed; b) knee range of motion used during propulsion; c) effectiveness of foot propulsion gait; and d) perceived difficulty with foot propulsion.

A repeated measures designs allows comparison between 5 different seat height conditions and 4 different seat angle conditions to determine whether there are significant differences in outcome, and if so, which conditions provide better outcomes. Participants will propel a customized MWC through a standardized course using each seat configuration; the sequence will be randomized to reduce any learning effects.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 31
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: October 30, 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• student in College of Rehabilitation Sciences enrolled in Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Physical Therapy, or Bachelor of Respiratory Therapy program at the University of Manitoba.

• Able-bodied individuals

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students whose hip width exceeds 21 inches or lower leg length is shorter than 16 inches will be excluded as the test manual wheelchair will not accommodate these dimensions.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy

Intervention

Other:
• Seat height
Seat height of a manual wheelchair will be changed according the different arms specified. The participant will complete a course in the manual wheelchair with each arm.
• Seat inclination
Seat inclination of a manual wheelchair will be changed according the different arms specified. The participant will complete a course in the manual wheelchair with each arm.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	University of Manitoba	Winnipeg	Manitoba

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Manitoba

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

References & Publications (2)

Askari S, Kirby RL, Parker K, Thompson K, O'Neill J. Wheelchair propulsion test: development and measurement properties of a new test for manual wheelchair users. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Sep;94(9):1690-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2013.03.002. Epub 2013 Mar 14. — View Citation

Heinrichs ND, Kirby RL, Smith C, Russell KFJ, Theriault CJ, Doucette SP. Effect of seat height on manual wheelchair foot propulsion, a repeated-measures crossover study: part 1 - wheeling forward on a smooth level surface. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2021 Nov;16(8):831-839. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2020.1741036. Epub 2020 Apr 2. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Propulsion speed	Speed will be determined via video recording. Two outcomes will be determined initial 10m and total test course	~30-60 seconds
Primary	Knee range of motion	Xsens sensors and mobile app will be used to determine the positions of the thigh and lower leg and knee joint angle will be obtained from the difference between these positions.	~30-60 seconds
Primary	Effectiveness of foot propulsion gait	Evaluated using the Wheelchair Propulsion Test developed by Askari et al. (2013). Simple, valid and reliable measure of propulsion for either upper or lower extremity propulsion techniques.	~30-60 seconds
Primary	Perceived difficulty with foot propulsion	Participant will provide subjective evaluations of how difficult they found foot propulsion after each trial, using Perceived Difficulty Questionnaire (Heinrichs et al., 2021).	~30-60 seconds