Effect of Wheelchair Stroke Pattern on Upper Extremity Muscle Fatigue.
Brittany Bickelhaupt, Sakiko Oyama, Jonathan Benfield and 3 others
PMID 29627608WHAT IT FOUND
In 18 AB men, 10 minutes of wheelchair propulsion with either the SC or P stroke produced no clear difference in arm strength after propulsion or perceived effort.
A possible link between shorter distal upper extremity length and less shoulder fatigue needs future testing.
Key findings
01After controlling for pre-exercise strength, the effect of propulsion technique on post-exercise shoulder strength was not statistically significant (P = .86), and the effect on post-exercise elbow strength was not statistically significant (P = .31).
02Perceived exertion changed significantly over time (P < .001), but there was no significant difference between propulsion methods (P = .38) and no significant interaction of time and methods (P = .63).
03A secondary analysis found a significant correlation between the distal upper extremity (DUE) measure and mean elbow post-exercise strength that differed between conditions: r = -.092 for P and r = -.896 for SC (P = .02).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study enrolled 18 AB male volunteers, not people with spinal cord injury, so it cannot show what happens in wheelchair users with SCI. The researchers aimed for 30 participants but enrolled 18, and they stated this small sample limits power. Participants had very different fitness levels, from zero minutes of moderate activity to hours of intense activity per day, which could have affected strength testing. Researchers could not be blinded to the assigned stroke because they had to teach it. Borg RPE scores may have been underreported because observers were present. The positive finding was a secondary correlation between distal upper extremity measure and post-exercise strength, which the authors called unexpected and said needs further study.
Declared interests
The listed authors reported nothing to disclose, and the paper does not state an external funder.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that SC or P propulsion is better for preventing shoulder fatigue in people with spinal cord injury. The primary outcomes showed no significant difference in AB men, and the DUE length correlation was a secondary, unanticipated finding that needs further study.