Citation

Kamper D, Parnianpour M, Barin K, Adams T, Linden M, Hemami H. J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 1999; 36(2): 121-132.

Affiliation

Biomedical Engineering Center and the Department of Otolaryngology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. d-kamper@nwu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10661528

Abstract

The postural stability of wheelchair users experiencing external perturbations was examined. Rotation of a tilt platform generated moments in the trunks of subjects seated in a manual wheelchair on the platform. The magnitude and duration of the moments were on the order of those that might be encountered in the sagittal plane during controlled braking maneuvers in a vehicle. Four subjects with tetraplegia, four with paraplegia, and five controls participated in experimental trials on the platform. As input, four different Disturbance profiles with either a 0.2 g (gravitational acceleration) or 0.4 g maximal level were imposed. The majority of the subjects with spinal cord injury lost balance at Disturbance levels below 0.2 g. The results suggest that the rate of change of the applied perturbation may also affect stability. The use of a stability index based on normalized motion of the center of pressure with respect to the seat showed efficacy in characterizing the response.

Language: en