Wheelchair Mobility and Upper Extremity Function in Spinal Cord Injury
Summary
Spinal cord injury often results in impaired lower limb function and reliance on wheelchairs for daily mobility. Manual wheelchair propulsion places considerable biomechanical and physiological demands on the upper limbs, leading to a high incidence of shoulder pain and overuse injuries. Efficient propulsion techniques, ergonomic wheelchair configuration and tailored rehabilitation can preserve upper extremity health and prolong independent mobility. Advances in biomechanics have elucidated the role of push patterns, contact angle and propulsion symmetry in reducing joint loading. Concurrently, sensor technologies and novel control interfaces aim to quantify performance and guide personalised training. Improving wheelchair mobility and upper extremity function is central to enhancing community participation, reducing secondary complications and promoting quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury.
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Wheelchair Mobility and Upper Extremity Function in Spinal Cord Injury publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in wheelchair mobility and upper extremity function in spinal cord injury across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Spinal cord injury: Damage to the spinal cord resulting in loss of motor and/or sensory function below the lesion level.
Manual wheelchair propulsion: Self-propelled movement of a wheelchair using repetitive pushes on handrims.
Pushrim-activated power-assist wheelchair: A wheelchair equipped with motors that amplify user pushes on the handrim in proportion to applied force.
Steering-by-leaning: A control interface that directs wheelchair turning by sensing upper body inclination rather than rim braking.
Community mobility: The capacity to move and participate in activities within neighbourhood and public environments.
References
- Holistic Sensor-Based Approach for Assessing Community Mobility and Participation of Manual Wheelchair Users in the Real World. Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks (2024).
- Enhancing Manual Wheelchair Propulsion: Incremental Assistance Levels of Pushrim-Activated Power-Assist Proportionally Reduce Physiological and Biomechanical Demands in Non-Disabled Participants. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering (2025).
- Steering-by-leaning facilitates intuitive movement control and improved efficiency in manual wheelchairs. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (2023).
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