Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study design
Researchers examined heterogeneity among manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury in a cross-sectional observational study. Ninety participants were assessed using a three-dimensional marker-based motion-capture system. An unsupervised two-step cluster analysis combined demographic and clinical variables with propulsion pattern, while statistical tests compared continuous and categorical characteristics across the resulting groups.
Three participant profiles
The analysis identified three distinct clusters. Cluster 1 included older, recreationally active participants with a shorter time since injury and predominantly used the arc pattern. Cluster 2 comprised younger, highly active participants with the longest time since injury; the under-rim pattern was most common. Cluster 3 included recreationally active participants with an intermediate time since injury and mainly demonstrated arc and single-loop patterns.
Biomechanical differences
Cluster 2 showed significantly higher velocities and larger push angles than the other profiles, while Clusters 1 and 3 had similar propulsion characteristics. The higher velocities and larger push angles were observed in Cluster 2, which included people with complete C4-C8 motor lesions. The authors concluded that propulsion characteristics are not determined by neurological injury classification alone, and may also reflect time since injury and physical activity level.
