Effect of Haptic Training During Manual Wheelchair Propulsion on Shoulder Joint Reaction Moments.
Rachid Aissaoui, Dany Gagnon
PMID 36188985WHAT IT FOUND
Haptic training raised pushrim force effectiveness but also increased shoulder joint loads.
The absolute rise was small, under 10% of maximum effort. Short-term use appears safe, but long-term injury risk remains unknown.
Key findings
01Participants significantly increased their mechanical effective force during higher-intensity training blocks compared to baseline.
02Shoulder joint moments and forces increased significantly during training blocks compared to baseline, particularly in flexion and anterior directions.
03The increase in shoulder load at the training block that achieved the target effectiveness was less than 10% of the participants' maximal voluntary propulsive moment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 18 participants, all experienced users with similar injury levels, limits generalisability to new users or different injury profiles. Training occurred in a single session on a simulator with a standard wheelchair, not their own, which may affect how the findings translate to real-world propulsion. The study did not track long-term adaptation or injury risk, only immediate mechanical loads. The inverse dynamic model did not account for all shoulder girdle joints like the scapula and clavicle.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving propulsion efficiency automatically reduces shoulder stress. This study found that shoulder joint loads did increase with the training, even if the absolute rise was small. The long-term safety of this technique for preventing shoulder injury is not proven.