Measurement of Hand/Handrim Grip Forces in Two Different One Arm Drive Wheelchairs

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of this study was to explore the total and regional grip forces in the hand when propelling two different manual one arm drive wheelchairs: the Neater Uni-wheelchair (NUW) and a foot steered Action3 wheelchair. Methods. 17 nondisabled users were randomly assigned to each wheelchair to drive around an indoor obstacle course. The Grip, a multiple sensor system taking continuous measurement of handgrip force, was attached to the propelling hand. Total grip force in each region of the hand and total grip force across the whole hand were calculated per user per wheelchair. Results. The Action3 with foot steering only generated significantly greater total grip force in straight running compared to the NUW and also in the fingers and thumb in straight running. Conclusions. The results suggest that the Action3 with foot steering generated greater grip forces which may infer a greater potential for repetitive strain injury in the upper limb. Further work is required to explore whether the difference in grip force is of clinical significance in a disabled population.

Studying mechanical load at body-seat interface during dynamic activities such as wheelchair propulsion: a scoping review

“…In five studies, participants used their personal wheelchair with their personal wheelchair adjustments [28][29][30]33,38]. Four studies used the same wheelchair for all participants, adjusting the size but keeping all the other parameters (such as tilt or backrest inclination) the same for each participant [27,31,34,39]. This information was not found in two studies [35,36].…”

“…Two studies measured the force under the seatpan using force sensors [27,38], some of which were placed in specific areas in the seatpan, with one additional sensor to cover the entire seatpan. However, most studies used pressure maps to obtain more precise data on pressure distribution [28][29][30][31][33][34][35][36]39]. All parameters exported from pressure maps in the different studies are summarised in Table 1.…”

“…Two studies measured the shift of the ischial tuberosities during wheelchair propulsion. The others used pressure map parameters: some examined the parameter minimum and maximum measurements over recordings [27,31,36,38], while others used the mean recorded for each measured parameter [28][29][30][31][33][34][35]39].…”

Triaxial Load Cell for Ergonomic Risk Assessment: A Study Case of Applied Force of Thumb

“…Each of these measure effort and torque. In contrast, a force glove system, such as the Force Sensitive Application (FSA) system, the Measure Grip Forces, and the Hand Force Measurement System [21][22][23] all directly measure finger forces exerted on an object; they use a sensitive resistor sensor attached to the palmar side of the hand and have high precision in their measurement. However, they limit the natural movements of the hand and fingers in repetitive work, change task conditions and affect productivity; this aspect limits their use when workers perform a high-frequency task with small loads.…”

“…Unfortunately, the sensor is invasive; it measures intra-articular pressure. Mandy et al [22] measured hand/hand grip forces in one-arm drive wheelchairs using the grip force. Dahlqvist et al [26] compared hand grip and resisted wrist extension (using MVC) in terms of amplitude and reproducibility and examined the effect of electrode positioning using electromyography through Ag/AgCl electrodes, which are designed for electrochemistry, stimulation, precision bioelectric recording and electrophysiology; however, this procedure is far from providing accurate information regarding the applied force since it only measures unidirectional muscular load.…”