CORRELATIONS BETWEEN KINEMATICS AND PROPULSIVE KINETICS IN A TEST WITH A COMPACT WHEELCHAIR DYNAMOMETER: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

This study aimed to relate kinematic variables of propulsive movement with the ability to develop power in a wheelchair. Five participants adults, without disabilities and any joint limitation, who underwent a two-minute warm-up period were evaluated to obtain the propulsion-free frequency (FHF). Then they underwent a five-minute protocol at a frequency of 150% of FHR. Kinematic data were collected during the last ten seconds of each minute of the protocol. Correlations were performed to observe the behavior of interactions between variables. We adopted p<0.05. As the main results, no significant correlations were observed in the first minute of the protocol for any of the selected variables. In the second minute, there were high and important correlations between the variables trunk angle and impulsion angle (r=0.89) and between impulsion time and trunk angle (r=-0.91). In the third minute, high and significant correlations were observed between thrust angle and elbow angle (r=-1.00) and between power and thrust time (r=-0.90). In the fourth minute, there was a high and significant correlation between elbow angle and trunk angle (r=-0.88). In the fifth minute, high and significant correlations were observed between power and impulsion time (r=-0.90) and elbow angle and impulsion time (r=-0.90). In short, among the kinematic variables studied, the impulsion time seems to exert a strong influence on the resulting power in locomotion movement in wheelchairs.

Received: 2022/11/26

Reformulated: 2023/03/22

Accepted: 2023/03/25