Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study design
Sixteen men with spinal cord injury completed 10-m straight-line trials at self-selected speed in laboratory conditions. Researchers assessed a detachable dual-propulsion wheelchair using a 1:1 gear ratio for pushing and 1:2 for pulling. A 10-camera Vicon motion-capture system recorded upper-limb and trunk movements, while analyses covered propulsion timing and speed, shoulder and elbow motion, propulsion angle, trunk movement, and wrist trajectories.
Different propulsion patterns
Pull propulsion lasted longer and produced lower speed than push propulsion during the trials. It also involved greater shoulder and elbow ranges of motion and a larger propulsion angle. During recovery, however, joint ranges of motion were greater with push propulsion. Trunk sway at key events did not differ between configurations, although participants showed descriptive differences in trunk and wrist movement patterns.
Limits and next steps
The researchers concluded that the configurations produced distinct upper-limb kinematic patterns. Because propulsion direction and gear ratio were coupled, and speed and mechanical workload were not standardised, the results cannot separate the effects of direction from gearing or workload. Further research was proposed on muscle activity, musculoskeletal loading, pain, fatigue, and propulsion efficiency using matched gear ratios and standardised speed or power output.
