At a glance summary
- Vibration and shock (“Whole Body Vibration/WBV”) have been proven to present health risks.
- Wheelchair users are exposed to levels of Whole Body Vibration which are likely to be detrimental to their health: in particular the evidence links to increased back pain, neck pain and fatigue. 60% of manual wheelchair users report neck and/or back pain and 40% modify daily activities as a result (Boninger et al, 2006)
- There has been limited success previously in equipment solutions or materials which reduce vibration and shock – Loopwheels however has been proven to help.
- Loopwheels in-house testing in 2017 showed a reduction in Whole Body Vibration of up to 70% measured at the seat when combining Loopwheels with a front power add-on device
- Independent studies by the University of Pittsburgh found WBV reduction with using Loopwheels for manual propulsion too: in blind lab tests involving manual wheelchair users over 9 surfaces, this was 7-10% at the backrest and footrest (Neti et al, 2024) and in a “real life” community setting over 2 weeks, a 35% reduction in vibration exposure and 50% reduction in shock compared with other community studies using a standard spoked wheel configuration
- The independent Pittsburgh work shows Loopwheels bring manual wheelchair users to within safe levels of exposure to WBV
- Participants in the Pittsburgh study reported a smoother, more comfortable ride experience, with fewer pain problems and greater participation in daily activities, but some increase in weight and rolling resistance
Evidence in more detail
Whole Body Vibration (WBV) has long been proven to present health risks, which is why the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has published several guidelines on levels of vibration exposure and their relationship to health outcomes. Many research studies have shown that too much exposure of the human body to whole body vibration can be detrimental to health. Specifically, ISO 2631 defines WBV exposure from a seated position.
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).
There has long been evidence based on a number of different studies that back and neck pain, and fatigue, result from too much exposure to WBV among wheelchair-users. You can access a summary of this research and the references here:
As of 2025, independent studies by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh show that by reducing shock and vibrations, in-wheel suspension Loopwheels can improve both comfort and health for wheelchair users who propel manually. They conclude in addition that Loopwheels are likely to be of even greater benefit for users of power assist (add-on) devices and those who spend a lot of time on outdoor terrain.
University of Pittsburgh
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the USA have examined whether using Loopwheels in-wheel suspension on wheelchairs can help reduce back and neck pain, fatigue, and overall discomfort from vibrations caused by rough surfaces.
Two studies were conducted by a team from one of the world’s leading research institutes into wheelchair use, the University of Pittsburgh Human Engineering Research Laboratories. These are:
1. VIBRATION STUDY: published in 2024
Effects of In-Wheel Suspension on Whole-Body Vibration and Comfort in Manual Wheelchair Users, Neti et al 2024
The first study was published in the journal Vibration April 2024, and tested Loopwheels Urban suspension wheels against standard spoked wheels and Spinergy CLX wheels. Nine surfaces/conditions were tested by 24 experienced manual wheelchair users with SCI blinded to wheel type.
Loopwheels were found to reduce Whole Body Vibration (WBV) at the wheelchair backrest and footrest by 7-10% compared with standard configuration (spoked wheels).
The study said that assuming a Manual Wheelchair User occupies their wheelchair for an average of 13 hours a day, a 7-10% reduction in backrest and footrest vibration would reduce the amount of exposure to harmful Whole Body Vibration by around an hour, and potentially increase the amount of time a manual wheelchair user can safely push before it becomes it becomes hazardous to health.
The study concluded that Loopwheels are effective at reducing vibration and shock, but because this study was conducted in a laboratory setting with limited time of exposure and surface types, it did not find any statistically significant differences in ride comfort and concluded that more long-term testing was required to determine effects on health.
2. PAIN STUDY: results shared at ISS 2025
The second study was a longitudinal pain study. Again, the Pittsburgh University researchers tested Loopwheels Urban suspension wheels with 24 manual wheelchair users (MWUs) but this time they tested over 12 weeks in a community setting ie with the manual wheelchair users going about their usual daily lives and activities.
This study examined the effects of in-wheel suspension systems on neck/back pain, fatigue, participation and whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure among the manual wheelchair users (MWUs). An accelerometer measured average distance, time during propulsion, and community levels of WBV for about two weeks midway into the intervention period. A battery of surveys were administered at baseline and post intervention, with the aim to determine changes in specific domains of pain and fatigue and community levels of participation.
Participants using Loopwheels reported less pain and a smoother ride:
- Less Pain & Fatigue:
- Reduced neck pain
- A decrease in pain interference in daily life
- Fewer overall pain problems
- A Smoother & Safer Ride
- Participants felt fewer bumps and improved shock absorption compared with normal wheelchair wheels.
- Vibrations from daily wheelchair use were reduced by 35%, while shock exposure dropped by 50% compared to previous community-based studies.
- Participants propelled on average about two hours a day, which is twice as long using Loopwheels than other community based studies.
- WBV levels fell to levels fell below hazardous thresholds defined by International Standard Organization (ISO) 2631
- Manual wheelchair users using Loopwheels should be able to propel up to 14-16 hours per day before being exposed to a harmful amount of vibration and shock (WBV).
On the downside, participants reported that Loopwheels are heavier than spoked wheels and their slightly higher rolling resistance means propulsion cost for manual wheelchair users. This can be a factor when considering Loopwheels for people who regularly transfer their wheels and chair manually into a vehicle and/or only propel manually without a power assist add-on. The benefits of reduced pain and fatigue are balanced against these factors.
Clinical Implications
The researchers conclude these clinical implications from their studies:
- in-wheel suspension is an option to consider to support individuals who experience neck/back pain with propulsion
- Given the weight and propulsion costs it could be a very good option for users of power assist (add-on) devices and those that spend a lot of time on outdoor terrain.
In short, research suggests that In-Wheel Suspension benefits wheelchair users
In independent studies, Loopwheels absorbed more shocks and vibrations, reducing the physical strain on users.
Loopwheels can improve comfort and health for wheelchair users.
What Loopwheels clients say
Loopwheels users started telling us in 2017 that one of the benefits they find from Loopwheels is reduced vibration. Given the risk of health consequences associated with WBV, we were very interested in this. Before the independent research studies conducted by Pittsburgh above, we did our own testing to measure whether Loopwheels reduce vibration compared with other wheel types. We then looked more deeply into published studies on the effects of WBV on wheelchair users, and in 2022 we published a summary of a literature review to combine evidence on back pain and fatigue. The literature review was conducted by a medical student on placement from the University of Nottingham. We have reproduced this in two blog posts: Fatigue in wheelchair users and Do people who use a wheelchair get more back pain?
Our customers have long told us they feel Loopwheels help reduce tiredness (for example compared with using spoked wheels for a big day out) and reduce back pain.
Until 2024, we didn’t have any independent research evidence to back up what our customers were telling us about Loopwheels reducing their pain and fatigue. But independent studies have now been done and confirm what customers have long reported!
Interested in doing a study?
We sometimes hear from individual Loopwheels customers that they believe that their Loopwheels help reduce spasticity/frequency of spasms or help with bladder control. We have no research based evidence for this, but we’re very interested in proposals for studies on these or other aspects of potential health benefits of in-wheel suspension. We’re also interested in studies involving people with health conditions other than Spinal Cord Injury, as we have many customers who tell us they benefit from Loopwheels and use a wheelchair due to conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, MS, Cerebral Palsy, and so on. Please get in touch if you are in a relevant profession with potential access to research funding and would like to access Loopwheels for your study.
MDR (medical device regulations)
As an accessory to a wheelchair, Loopwheels are classified as a Medical Device, Class 1, for the purposes of MDR (EU) 2017 / 745 and equivalent medical regulations in the UK and Switzerland.
Our MDR documentation can be found under Support for Trade Customers.
Downloads
University of Pittsburgh Vibration paper 2024
Pain and fatigue – 2022
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