Adaptive Sports Technology and Biomechanics: Wheelchairs

Abstract

Wheelchair sports are an important tool in the rehabilitation of people with severe chronic disabilities and have been a driving force for innovation in technology and practice. In this paper, we will present an overview of the adaptive technology used in Paralympic sports with a special focus on wheeled technology and the impact of design on performance (defined as achieving the greatest level of athletic ability and minimizing the risk of injury). Many advances in manual wheelchairs trace their origins to wheelchair sports. Features of wheelchairs that were used for racing and basketball 25 or more years ago have become integral to the manual wheelchairs that people now use every day; moreover, the current components used on ultralight wheelchairs also have benefitted from technological advances developed for sports wheelchairs. For example, the wheels now used on chairs for daily mobility incorporate many of the components first developed for sports chairs. Also, advances in manufacturing and the availability of aerospace materials have driven current wheelchair design and manufacture. Basic principles of sports wheelchair design are universal across sports and include fit; minimizing weight while maintaining high stiffness; minimizing rolling resistance; and optimizing the sports-specific design of the chair. However, a well-designed and fitted wheelchair is not sufficient for optimal sports performance: the athlete must be well trained, skilled, and use effective biomechanics because wheelchair athletes face some unique biomechanical challenges.

Shoulder Disease Patterns of the Wheelchair Athletes of Table-Tennis and Archery: A Pilot Study

“…Also for wheelchair athletes of TT, exercises for scapular stabilization and supraspinatus flexibility need to be emphasized to prevent injuries from the impingement syndrome. The wheelchair users need to maintain exercise activities for improved physical and mental health [3], and it is important to have the skill for handling their wheelchair but also understand the characteristics of each sporting event relevant to their condition [2930]. Our results are expected to aid in event-specific treatments and training programs.…”

Changes in throwing sports rules: Implications about the performance of Paralympic athletes

“…The goals to be developed for paralympic sports should consider limitations and explore possibilities for motor activity (Cidade & Freitas, 2009). Wheelchair based sports have three basic objectives with the seated position: (1) offering a comfortable and efficient basis which aids propulsion and control; (2) increasing athlete's efficiency; (3) preventing pressure ulcers or other lesions in soft tissue, so that the athlete can act as one alongside the chair (Cooper & De Luigi, 2014). There are two main components which contribute to performance, referring to wheelchair-based sports -the athlete and the chair itself.…”

Dynamic control of a reconfigurable stair-climbing mobility system

“…The rear and front racks are moving with the corresponding slopes ji\ = | -<$i and fa = f -¿2-The initial expressions that define the current position of the SCMS are shown here: and the system coordinates in each particular configuration are different and this must be considered in order to adapt different equations to different system configurations. The first step consists of obtaining expressions of forces that appear in the mechanism in terms of the generalized coordinate variable, r = [ri, r 2 ] r . Figure 4 shows the notation used to obtain the dynamics model.…”

“…It is well known that under quasi-static conditions, the relation between the torques exerted in the joints and the forces and torques exerted in the center of gravity of the mechanism are related by the following expression: 2 ] r ) will depend on the particular configuration of the mechanism. It is therefore necessary to find a relation between the articular variables and the system variables for all the possible configurations and to use the model given by Eq.…”

“…Conventional Electric-Powered Wheelchairs (EPWs) are the principal means of mobility for a large percentage of people with physical disabilities, and it is unquestionable that EPWs greatly improve the mobility of these people. 2 Nevertheless, architectural barriers still exist in many cities and buildings, and it is expensive and timeconsuming, if not impossible, to eliminate all such barriers. New tendencies have arisen with the development of stairclimbing mobility systems (SCMSs), which are capable of negotiating architectural barriers in order to provide people with walking difficulties with more autonomy and to reduce the amount of labor-intensive manhandling of patients by care workers.…”