The Influence of Seat Height on Hemiplegic-pattern Propulsion of Manual Wheelchairs

NCT03330912 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1022716
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effect of seat height on hemiplegic-pattern wheelchair propulsion. Each subject will act as their own control and measures will be obtained in a one sixty minute session. Five seat heights relative to the subject's leg length will be measured in a random order to see the effect on forward and backwards wheelchair propulsion.

Conditions

Wheelchairs; Hemiplegia

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• speed (m/s)

  wheelchair propulsion speed over 10 m forward and 5 m backward

  same day measure obtained immediately after seat adjustment, approximately 10 minutes

• push frequency (cycles per second)

  number of foot cycles completed over the 10 m forward and 5 m backward

  same day measure obtained immediately after seat adjustment, approximately 10 minutes

• Propulsion effectiveness

  distance travelled per foot propulsion cycle

  same day measure obtained immediately after seat adjustment, approximately 10 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• forward propulsion wheelchair skills test score

  same day measure obtained immediately after seat adjustment, approximately 10 minutes

• propulsion difficulty questionnaire

  same day measure obtained immediately after seat adjustment, approximately 10 minutes

Study Arms (1)

Seat Height Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Randomly assigned 5 wheelchair seat heights ranging from very low (2" below) to very high (2" above) the lower leg length of the participant.

Device: Neutral seat height; Device: Very low seat height; Device: Low seat height; Device: Very high seat height; Device: High seat height

Interventions

Neutral seat height DEVICE

Seat height set relative to participant's leg length with neutral set at the measured lower leg length

Seat Height Intervention

Very low seat height DEVICE

Seat height set relative to participant's leg length, 2" below the measured lower leg length

Seat Height Intervention

Low seat height DEVICE

Seat height set relative to participant's leg length, 1" below the measured lower leg length

Seat Height Intervention

Very high seat height DEVICE

Seat height set relative to participant's leg length, 2" above the measured lower leg length

Seat Height Intervention

High seat height DEVICE

Seat height set relative to participant's leg length, 1" above the measured lower leg length

Seat Height Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• willing to participate
• is right-hand dominant (to simplify wheelchair and laboratory set-up)
• has a subjective unshod height of ≤ 183 cm (6'0")
• is able to be comfortably seated in the manual wheelchair used for the study
• is 18 years of age or older, is alert and cooperative
• is competent to provide informed consent
• is able to communicate in English
• does not have an unstable medical condition

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lee Kirby: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nova Scotia Rehabilitation and Arthritis Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4K4, Canada

Location

Related Publications (2)

• 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.

  PMID: 32238086 BACKGROUND

• 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 2 - wheeling backward on a soft surface. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2022 Apr;17(3):325-330. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2020.1782490. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

  PMID: 32594783 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hemiplegia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Paralysis; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Lee Kirby, MD

  Nova Scotia Health Authority, Dalhousie University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Staff Physician, Rehabilitation Medicine

Model Details: Single subject - participants will be compared to themselves. STROBE guidelines will be followed.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 30, 2017
• First Posted: November 6, 2017
• Study Start: May 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2019
• Study Completion: September 1, 2019
• Last Updated: September 11, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)