Angelica De Cillis
Shoulder kinematics in wheelchair propulsion: A preliminary study of the effects of propulsion speed and trunk posture.
Rel. Laura Gastaldi, Elena Gutierrez-Farewik, Marie Lund Ohlsson. Politecnico di Torino, Master of science program in Biomedical Engineering, 2026
Abstract
Manual wheelchair propulsion is a demanding upper-limb task and is strongly associated with a high prevalence of shoulder pain and overuse injuries. Propulsion intensity and task demands are known to influence upper-body kinematics; however, how trunk, scapular and shoulder kinematics adapt across different propulsion conditions remains insufficiently understood, especially during high-intensity efforts. The aim of this thesis was to investigate upper-body kinematic adaptations during manual wheelchair propulsion under different propulsion speeds. Specifically, propulsion performed at (i) a fixed submaximal speed (6 km/h; externally prescribed, representing a lower-speed condition), (ii) an individualized relative speed (70% of each participant’s maximal speed; self-selected and typically higher than 6 km/h, representing a higher-speed condition) and (iii) maximal speed from standstill to the maximum speed can be achieved.
An experimental dataset of four experienced manual wheelchair users was collected using a motion capture system and a varying-speed wheelchair ergometer
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