Abstract
Transportation using a wheelchair is one of the mobility aids that is often used at home, and in medical and nursing care facilities. However, there is no useful standard for wheelchair pushing technique that considers the riding comfort of the wheelchair users. To develop an index of preferable wheelchair pushing techniques for starting and stopping that are applicable to actual assistance work, the present study investigated the influence of various distances for wheelchair acceleration and deceleration on riding comfort. One nurse participated as the helper that pushed a wheelchair. Twelve persons participated as wheelchair users. The helper subject pushed the wheelchair using four starting conditions and five stopping conditions with different distances for acceleration and deceleration, respectively. We measured postural angle, electromyogram (EMG), eye blink frequency, breath frequency, and subjective evaluations of wheelchair users and the speed behavior of the wheelchair. The upper body of the wheelchair users was easily inclined and subjective riding comfort was decreased by starting acceleration less than 1.8m and stopping deceleration less than 1.3m. Furthermore, stopping deceleration less than 1.0 m increased EMG activity of the rectus femoris muscle and respiratory rate. These findings suggested that helpers should use distances greater than 1.8m for acceleration when starting to push and 1.3m for deceleration when stopping the wheelchair in order to keep the wheelchair user comfortable.
