Effect of Different Handrail Heights and Widths on Kinematics and Kinetics of Sit-to-Stand in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Sit-to-stand (STS) is an integral daily life activity. Handrail height significantly affects STS. However, the multifactorial influences of horizontal handrail height and width on STS have not been investigated. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of different heights and widths of horizontal handrails on the motion time, joint angles, and joint moments during STS to determine the optimal handrail height and width during STS. Methods:The study was conducted on 16 healthy young adults. Six experimental conditions were tested: high handrail large width; high handrail small width; medium handrail large width; middle handrail small width; low handrail large width; low handrail small width. The movement time, joint angle, and joint moment were analyzed and compared. Results: Different handrail heights had a significant influence on the percent of motion time in the first phase. Only handrail height significantly influenced the maximum trunk tilt angle. There was an interaction between handrail height and width for the peak hip joint moment. Conclusions: These findings indicated that people who have difficulty leaning forward will expend less effort and backward falls can be prevented when using the high handrail. The large width can be particularly helpful for patients with poor hip strength. Therefore, patients with impaired lower extremity strength can employ a high handrail with a large width to reduce the burden of performing STS transfers.