Influence of wheelchair user interface and personal characteristics on static and dynamic pretibial skin pressures in elite wheelchair racers, a pilot study

Context/objective: To examine personal (athletic classification, age, sex, body mass index, duration of disability, tactile sensation of lower extremities) and wheelchair (kneeling plate angle) factors associated with increased pretibial skin pressures in elite wheelchair racers.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: University-based laboratory in Champaign, USA.Participants: A convenience sample of elite wheelchair races with traumatic spinal cord injury and spinal disease were recruited for participation.Interventions: Interface pressure mapping was used to examine athletes’ average and peak pretibial skin pressures in their own racing wheelchairs during static and dynamic (propulsive) conditions on a dynamometer.Outcome measures: The study examined associations between personal and wheelchair factors and pressure, differences in pressure between static and dynamic conditions, and the influence of athletic classification (T53 vs. T54) on kneeling plate angle preference and skin pressure magnitudes.Resul...