Relationship between the duration and trunk inclination and hip angle during car transfer in individuals with tetraplegia

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the duration of the car transfer (CT) movement and trunk inclination and hip angles during this movement in individuals with tetraplegia. [Subjects and Methods] Eleven adult males with C6 tetraplegia participated in this study. The CT movement was recorded from the passenger side of the car using a digital video camera. From the video, the duration and trunk inclination and hip joint angle were recorded, and correlation coefficients were calculated. [Results] No correlation was found between the trunk inclination angle and the duration of the CT movement. However, a significant correlation was found between the hip angle and the duration of the CT movement: when the duration was short, the hip flexion angle was substantial. [Conclusion] The trunk inclination angle probably showed no effect on the duration of the CT movement because the movement was performed in a limited space and because the trunk muscles of the subjects were paralyzed. In contrast, C6 tetraplegia enabled smooth CT by allowing for control of trunk inclination, such as placing the lower extremities in the car, whereby the pelvis backward tilt angle increased.