A preliminary study of the measurement of overload applied to the foot support of a wheelchair and a seated postural support device.
Satoshi Shirogane, Takashi Handa, Yoshihiko Kozai and 1 others
PMID 28210028WHAT IT FOUND
Force plates under device foot supports recorded strong horizontal pushes from spasticity, not only downward weight.
One participant reached 525 N, exceeding the 500 N standard for a 40 kg user. This is a three-person preliminary measurement, not proof devices fail.
Key findings
01Vertical force made up 70 to 80% of total load, and horizontal force reached 35.3% at maximum in one participant.
02One participant's maximum foot support load was 525 N, and only one participant exceeded 500 N.
03Horizontal force briefly exceeded 200 N in participant 1.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only three participants were measured, so these values cannot be used as a standard. Measurements lasted up to ten minutes and were repeated one to three times, so they may not capture all daily forces. The study did not show that devices broke or that users were harmed. The authors state that a full-scale study is needed before these measurements can inform standards.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that wheelchairs or seated postural supports are unsafe or that the 500 N standard is wrong. The paper measured only three people in short tests, and it says a full-scale study is needed before these loads can be used to set standards.