Relationships between wheelchair skills, wheelchair mobility and level of injury in individuals with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design:Cross-sectional.Objectives:To describe the manual wheelchair (MWC) skill profiles of experienced MWC users with spinal cord injury and their wheeled mobility (distance and speed) while considering their level of injury and age.Setting:Rehabilitation centers, participant's home and the community.Methods:MWC skills were evaluated using the wheelchair skills test (WST) and wheeled mobility data were collected in the participants' own environment over a 7-day period, using a Cateye cycle computer (VELO 8). A total of 54 participants took part in the study.Results:The mean total performance score of the sample on the WST was 80.711.8%, with a significant difference between participants with tetraplegia (C4-C8) and those with low-level paraplegia (T7-L2) (P0.01). The average daily distance covered was 2.52.1 km at 1.70.9 km h 1, with no significant difference between participants with paraplegia and those with tetraplegia (wheeled distance: P0.70; speed: P0.65). Significant relationships were found between MWC skills and daily wheeled distance (r0.32, P0.05), but the correlation between these variables did not remain significant when controlling for age (partial r0.26, P0.07).Conclusion: These results suggest that the level of injury is related to MWC skills but not wheeled mobility. MWC skills are related to greater wheeled distance, but to a lesser extent when controlling for age. © 2012 International Spinal Cord Society All rights reserved.