Modélisation cinématique pour l'évaluation de la stabilité des usagers de fauteuils roulants

Trunk instability is a common problem among wheelchair users, which has to be taken into account for the security, comfort and autonomy of the user, and also for the pain and deformity of the spine. The main goals of this project are to develop a kinematic model of a wheelchair user and his interface with the seating devices, and to compare different types of backrests and cushions.

Simulations were done to compare different types of backrests. Two backrests were compared in term of stability: a standard backrest with a lateral support in the lumbar region and a “sharper” backrest with a large lateral support in the lower thoracic region. The study leads to the observation that the “sharper” backrest is more stable than the standard one.

A second study was made to compare the stability provided by four backrests (adjustable tension backrest by Orthofab Inc., Jay by Jay Medical Ltd., Apex by Promed Inc., flexible contour backrest by Promed Inc.) used in manual wheelchair. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)