Temperature on Hand’ Surface During Manual Wheelchair Propulsion: A Comparative Study of Two Handrim Designs

Abstract

The wheelchair handrim is a key factor in the wheelchair ergonomics and has been shown to affect both user's comfort and propulsion efficiency. Since the handrim is used for both pushing and braking, friction is an important aspect influencing thermal comfort on hands. This study was aimed at investigating the influence of handrim design on hands’ temperature during manual wheelchair propulsion. Ten able-bodied subjects performed an “8-shaped” propulsion protocol on a flat floor, repeated twice, each time with a different pair of handrims: the standard round metallic tube handrims, and the ergonomically designed handrims. Temperature on hands’ surface was measured with a thermographic camera at three moments: before starting the protocol and immediately after each protocol with a different handrim. The results show that the average maximum temperature on hands’ surface after propelling the wheelchair with the conventional handrims (36.77+1.66 oC) was significantly higher (p=0.01) than after propelling with the ergonomic handrim (36.22+1.33 oC). Measuring the temperature on hands with a thermographic camera was shown to be a useful technique to investigate thermal aspects of the hand-operated devices.