Relationship between rolling resistance, preferred speed, and manual wheelchair propulsion mechanics in non-disabled adults.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly characterize the dose-response relationship between rolling resistance and manual wheelchair propulsion biomechanics. By characterizing the relationship between rolling resistance and propulsion mechanics, more objective and accurate clinical interventions can be assessed/implemented.Our results suggest that reducing the user-wheelchair system rolling resistance should decrease peak forces, which is favorable, as increased peak forces have been linked to upper extremity pain and pathology.Our findings of weak relationships between rolling resistance and push length, push frequency, and force rate of rise, suggest that reductions in rolling resistance may not be the optimal method for "improving" these variables. Propulsion training has been shown to achieve long-term favorable changes in these variables, so an area for future work can be to evaluate if reducing rolling resistance or propulsion training is more effective at "improving" these variables.The strong relationship we observed between rolling resistance and self-selected speed, suggests that user-wheelchair system rolling resistance reductions might encourage increased mobility in the home and community, theoretically improving participation and thus quality of life.