The short-term influence of rear wheel axle position and training on manual wheelchair propulsion technique in novice able-bodied participants during steady-state treadmill propulsion, a pilot study

ABSTRACTPurpose: To examine if wheelchair fit influenced the effectiveness of video-based propulsion technique training.Method: Based on a cross sectional design, able-bodied participants (n = 21) received an optimally configured wheelchair (OCW; n = 11) or a nonoptimally configured wheelchair (NOCW; n = 10) to determine if propulsion technique was influenced by configuration before and after training. Outcome variables collected during steady-state treadmill propulsion at 1.1 m/s included peak resultant force (peak Fr; N), peak torque (N), contact angle (CA; degrees), stroke frequency (SF; strokes/s), power output (PO; W), and braking torque (BT; N m). Results: Significant group by time interactions were observed for PO (p = 0.05) and peak torque (p = 0.01), while CA, SF, and BT were significant by time (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Results suggest similar benefits from training regardless of rear axle position except for PO and peak torque where configuration was influential. Results suggest the combined effec...