Wheelchair exercise: a review

Not much is known concerning the physiological performance capabilities of wheelchair confined populations. Further, the instrumentation to collect physiological data has not been available until recently. It is in the area of work capacity measurement of the handicapped that the arm ergometer is of greatest interest (particularly for those who have a functional loss of one or both legs). In recent years, ther has been an attempt to develop instrumentation and investigate some of the physiological issues surrounding quantified exercise in wheelchair confined populations. The intent of this review is to provide the reader with an overview of the state of the art in wheelchair and wheelchair ergometric cardiorespiratory performance.