Influence of Floor Surface on the Energy Cost of Wheelchair Propulsion

Abstract

Carpeting of the type commonly used in hospitals imposed a burden upon normal and patient wheelchair users propelling a wheelchair as reflected in increased energy cost per unit of distance traveled. Wheelchair propulsion also tended to produce high heart rates compared to values reported for normal walking. Pneumatic tires offered no advantage over hard rubber tires on the type of carpet used in this study. Wheelchair propulsion required more energy expenditure per minute than values reported for normal ambulation at the same velocity.

A kinetic analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion during start-up on select indoor and outdoor surfaces

“…Comparing our findings with those of other studies [10,26] is difficult since the authors reported only average speeds of propulsion over different surfaces and not start-up velocities. The average speeds during start-up in this study ranged from 0.51 m/s (grass) to 1.11 m/s (interlocking pavers), with an overall average speed across surfaces of 0.82 m/s.…”

“…In Newsam et al's study, the average self-chosen speed over tile was 1.31 m/s for the entire group of 70 users with paraplegia and tetraplegia [10]. In an earlier study by Wolfe et al, subjects with paraplegia pushed at a self-chosen speed of 1.36 m/s over level concrete and 1.07 m/s over carpeting "of the same type used in hospital and nursing homes" [26]. Not too surprisingly, the average speeds during start-up in this study are lower than those reported during steady-state on similar surfaces in other studies; wheelchair users generally do not go faster at start-up and then slow down.…”

Assessment of Wheelchair Drag Resistance Using a Coasting Deceleration Technique

“…The investigation of Glaser and Collins 5 provide data demonstrating that rolling resistance may be more than two times greater on level low-pile carpet compared with a tiled surface. Finally, metabolic data of Glaser et al 6 and Wolfe et al 7 showed that wheelchair propulsion on carpet may increase oxygen uptake by 35-40% compared with propulsion on a hard surface. These findings seem to fall within a range consistent with the present results, depending on the speed and wheelchair considered.…”

“…For instance, the metabolic demands to propel a wheelchair on a carpeted surface have been compared with those for propulsion on a hard surface. [5][6][7] However, the use of metabolic measurements is limited for comparisons of different wheelchairs or ground surfaces, as the precision of these measurements and the intraindividual variations in metabolic expenditure with repeat testing make it challenging to discern differences in metabolic demands that might result from small changes in resistive forces.…”

Energy cost and cardiopulmonary responses for wheelchair locomotion and walking on tile and on carpet

“…These discrepancies could possibly be due to differences in the above mentioned factors, as well as the method of study. Most of these investi gations directly determined the energy cost of wheelchair locomotion, but then predicted the energy cost of walking from data in the literature (Hildebrandt et ai., 1970;Traugh et ai., 1975;Wolfe et al, 1977). In an effort to directly compare physiological responses to wheelchair locomotion and walking, Glaser et ai.…”