Evaluation of an exercise-enabling control interface for powered wheelchair users: a feasibility study with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Powered wheelchairs are an essential technology to support mobility, yet their use is associated with a high level of sedentarism that can have negative health effects for their users. People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) start using a powered wheelchair in their early teens due to the loss of strength in their legs and arms. There is evidence that low-intensity exercise can help preserve the functional abilities of people with DMD, but options for exercise when sitting in a powered wheelchair are limited.

Methods

In this paper, we present the design and the feasibility study of a new version of the MOVit device that allows powered-wheelchair users to exercise while driving the chair. Instead of using a joystick to drive the wheelchair, users move their a

SUBMITTER: Lobo-Prat J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7592377 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature