Wheelchair users are 5 times more likely to suffer from back pain than the overall population, and around half of wheelchair users are affected by back pain (ref 1,2).
A research team from the University of Pittsburgh in the USA has found that in-wheel suspension can improve both immediate comfort and the long-term health of wheelchair users.
In the first study of two, they measured the amount of shock and vibrations transmitted into the body when a wheelchair user passes over 9 different surfaces commonly encountered in everyday life, such as carpet, paving stones or tarmac. Vibration and shocks can lead to long-term back and neck pain and fatigue, so reducing the amount of exposure to vibration reduces the risk of suffering from these. They compared the relatively new technology of in-wheel suspension with two types of more traditional wheelchair wheels with spokes, and measured the amount of vibration and shock transmitted through each to the chair and the wheelchair user.
The team found that the suspension wheels significantly reduce vibrations and shocks compared with other wheels, even when the person in the wheelchair propels themselves manually at slow speed.
In the second study, the researchers looked at pain and comfort experienced on a daily basis. 24 wheelchair users used Loopwheels suspension wheels and spoked wheels over 12 weeks. A battery of questions relating to pain and comfort was measured before, during and after the trial. This study showed that for people using suspension wheels, vibrations were reduced by 35%, while shock exposure dropped by 50%. Measured levels of exposure to vibration and shock fell to within safe limits set by international standards.
Participants using Loopwheels reported less pain, less fatigue, a decrease in pain interference in daily life, and a smoother, more comfortable ride.
These studies involved people with a spinal cord injury who propel themselves manually in their wheelchairs. With the greater use of new electric handbikes for wheelchairs, enabling people to travel faster and further in their wheelchairs, the exposure to vibration and shocks is greater. In-wheel suspension such as Loopwheels offers even greater benefit for people who use power attachments and e-handbikes to help manage their disability.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Kovacs FM, Seco J, Royuela A, Barriga A, Zamora J. Prevalence and factors associated with a higher risk of neck and back pain among permanent wheelchair users: a cross-sectional study. Spinal Cord 2017 564 [Internet]. 2017 Dec 28 [cited 2022 May 10];56(4):392–405. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41393-017-0029-z
- Garcia-Mendez Y, Pearlman JL, Boninger ML, Cooper RA. Health risks of vibration exposure to wheelchair users in the community. J Spinal Cord Med [Internet]. 2013 Jul [cited 2022 May 10];36(4):375. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3758533/
- It’s long been recognised that frequent and prolonged exposure to high levels of vibration and shock can cause neck and back pain and discomfort for many wheelchair users, just as it can for other people (eg driving trucks or using machinery).
- Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is typically characterised by both low impact, long-term vibrations and high impact, short-term shocks (eg driving over a gravel road vs hitting a pothole on a smooth road, respectively).
- Given the risk of health consequences associated with WBV, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has published several guidelines on levels of vibration exposure and their relationship to health outcomes, specifically ISO 2631 defines WBV exposure from a seated position.
- The results of the first study were published as a paper titled EFFECTS OF IN-WHEEL SUSPENSION ON WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION AND COMFORT IN MANUAL WHEELCHAIRS on 30 April 2024 in the journal Vibration https://www.mdpi.com/2571-631X/7/2/23
- The authors of the study are: Ahlad Neti, Allison Brunswick, Logan Marsalko, Chloe Shearer and Alicia Koontz. Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: Prof Alicia Koontz, Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 6425 Penn Avenue, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA
- The results of the second study are being shared at the International Seating Symposium in Pittsburgh, USA on 21 March 2025.