Effects of In-Wheel Suspension

Objective: The purpose of this project is to examine how Integral or in-wheel suspension impacts shock, vibration, pain and fatigue in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury who have chronic neck or back pain, defined as continuous or daily recurring pain that has been present for more than 3 months. Experimental Design: This study consists of 2 phases. The first phase is a non-experimental post-test only design. The second phase is a non-experimental pretest-post-test design. Methods: Thirty participants will be recruited to participate. At Baseline (visit 1) participants will be asked to complete the study questionnaires and a standardized mobility course using a pair of standard wheelchair wheels (spoked rim), Spinergy lightweight carbon fiber wheels, and Loopwheels. Vibration exposure will be measured during the various propulsion tasks. The participant will be blinded to the type of wheel being used in the trial. Participants will be given a set of wheels (either Spinergy or Loopwheels) to use at home for the 12-week intervention. Participants will use the in-wheel suspension wheels in their normal daily routine for 12-weeks. During this time, they will receive online surveys three times per week covering pain and fatigue experienced in various parts of the body. At Closeout (Visit 2), participants will be asked to return to the lab to collect final outcomes, complete an exit survey and have their wheels swapped out for their original set.