Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study design
A modeling study examined how individual shoulder muscles contribute to mechanical work during manual wheelchair propulsion among five people with paraplegia. It used a thoracoscapular model in OpenSim, combining scapular movement with muscles that earlier models sometimes left out. This design focused on the push and recovery phases rather than testing a rehabilitation intervention.
Muscles identified
During pushing, anterior deltoid, pectoralis major, infraspinatus, and serratus anterior made notable contributions to estimated work. Recovery drew mainly on subscapularis, teres major, trapezius, posterior and middle deltoid, and rhomboids. The supraspinatus produced no modeled mechanical work, while total rotator cuff involvement was below earlier reports.
Model interpretation
The researchers checked model outputs through reserve actuator contributions and power ratios, then compared calculated muscle activations with measurements. The findings highlight why scapula-controlling muscles, including serratus anterior, trapezius, and rhomboids, matter when constructing upper-limb musculoskeletal models. Because the record summarizes an abstract and the sample was small, these results describe modeled muscle patterns, not treatment guidance or proof that any particular rehabilitation strategy prevents injury.
