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Updated: May 5, 2026
Determining and Controlling External Power Output During Regular Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion
Published on: February 5, 2020
Biomechanical model for evaluation of pediatric upper extremity joint dynamics during wheelchair mobility
Alyssa J Schnorenberg1, Brooke A Slavens2, Mei Wang3
1Department of Occupational Science & Technology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Engineering Center (OREC), Marquette University/Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Insights
Pediatric manual wheelchair users face high upper extremity demands. A new model quantifies these joint forces, revealing significant asymmetry and informing better care for children with disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Manual wheelchair users (MWU) experience high upper extremity (UE) joint demands during mobility.
- This places pediatric MWU at risk for pain and pathology.
- Current methods for assessing pediatric UE joint dynamics are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate an inverse dynamics model for characterizing 3D UE joint kinematics and kinetics in pediatric MWU.
- To provide quantitative insights into UE joint dynamics for improved clinical management.
Main Methods:
- Developed a custom bilateral UE inverse dynamics model including thorax, clavicle, scapula, upper arm, forearm, and hand segments.
- Incorporated sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, glenohumeral, elbow, and wrist joints.
- Utilized a SmartWheel instrumented handrim system to collect data from a 17-year-old male with C7 spinal cord injury (SCI) propelling a manual wheelchair.
Main Results:
- The model captured detailed UE joint kinematics and kinetics during wheelchair propulsion.
- Observed significant wrist extension (up to 60°), large elbow range of motion, and peak glenohumeral forces (up to 10% body weight).
- Detected statistically significant asymmetry across the wrist, elbow, glenohumeral, and acromioclavicular joints.
Conclusions:
- The custom pediatric UE model offers valuable quantitative data for understanding joint dynamics in pediatric MWU.
- Findings can inform wheelchair prescription, training, rehabilitation, and long-term care for children with orthopedic disabilities.
- Further research with larger SCI pediatric populations is needed to correlate findings with pain, function, and developmental changes.
Abstract:
Pediatric manual wheelchair users (MWU) require high joint demands on their upper extremity (UE) during wheelchair mobility, leading them to be at risk of developing pain and pathology. Studies have examined UE biomechanics during wheelchair mobility in the adult population; however, current methods for evaluating UE joint dynamics of pediatric MWU are limited. An inverse dynamics model is proposed to characterize three-dimensional UE joint kinematics and kinetics during pediatric wheelchair mobility using a SmartWheel instrumented handrim system. The bilateral model comprises thorax, clavicle, scapula, upper arm, forearm, and hand segments and includes the sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, glenohumeral, elbow and wrist joints. A single 17 year-old male with a C7 spinal cord injury (SCI) was evaluated while propelling his wheelchair across a 15-meter walkway. The subject exhibited wrist extension angles up to 60°, large elbow ranges of motion and peak glenohumeral joint forces up to 10% body weight. Statistically significant asymmetry of the wrist, elbow, glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joints was detected by the model. As demonstrated, the custom bilateral UE pediatric model may provide considerable quantitative insight into UE joint dynamics to improve wheelchair prescription, training, rehabilitation and long-term care of children with orthopedic disabilities. Further research is warranted to evaluate pediatric wheelchair mobility in a larger population of children with SCI to investigate correlations to pain, function and transitional changes to adulthood.
