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7685437 
Journal Article 
Wheelchair configuration and postural alignment in persons with spinal cord injury 
Hastings, JD; Fanucchi, ER; Burns, SP; , 
2003 
Yes 
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
ISSN: 0003-9993
EISSN: 1532-821X 
W B SAUNDERS CO 
PHILADELPHIA 
84 
4 
528-534 
English 
12690591 
WOS:000182071700010 
Objective: To determine whether postural alignment and shoulder flexion range differ for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) seated in wheelchairs with standard configurations versus wheelchairs with posterior seat inclination and a low backrest set perpendicular to the floor.Design: Prospective repeated-measures study.Setting: Outpatient SCI clinic.Participants: Fourteen subjects with C6-T10 motor-complete SCI.Interventions: Subjects sat in 3 manual wheelchairs: standard setup E&J Premier (S1), standard setup Quickie Breezy (S2), and test configuration Quickie TNT (T) with posterior seat inclination and a low backrest set perpendicular to the floor.Main Outcome Measures: Shoulder and neck alignment and pelvic tilt were determined from sagittal plane digital photographs at rest and with maximal vertical reach.Results: At rest, T produced less shoulder protraction than either standard configuration (difference between the mean values, S1: 1.6cm, P=.048; S2: 1.2cm, P=.013). SI and S2 showed a greater head-forward position than T (differences between the mean values, S1: 6.5degrees, P=.008; S2: 6.3degrees, P=.013). T allowed greater humeral flexion than S2 (difference between the mean values: 3.7degrees, P=.036) and greater vertical reach above the seat plane than either conventional configuration (differences between the mean values, S1: 4.7cm, P=.005; S2: 4.1cm, P=.002). The indirect pelvic tilt measurement showed a trend (P=.06) toward greater posterior pelvic tilt with S1 and S2.Conclusion: The alternate configuration produces more vertical postural alignment and greater reach ability versus the standard factory setup wheelchairs. 
Rehabilitation; Shoulder; Spinal cord injuries; Wheelchairs 
Annual Meeting of the American-Spinal-Injury-Association 
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA