Promote pressure ulcer healing in individuals with spinal cord injury using an individualized cyclic pressure-relief protocol.

Objective: To evaluate whether an individualized cyclic pressure-relief protocol accelerates wound healing in wheelchair users with established pressure ulcers (PrUs).

Design: Randomized controlled study.

Setting: Spinal cord injury clinics.

Biomechanical effects of sitting with adjustable ischial and lumbar support on occupational low back pain: evaluation of sitting load and back muscle activity.

Background: Compared to standing posture, sitting decreases lumbar lordosis, increases low back muscle activity, disc pressure, and pressure on the ischium, which are associated with occupational LBP. A sitting device that reduces spinal load and low back muscle activities may help increase sitting comfort and reduce LBP risk. The objective of this study is to investigate the biomechanical effect of sitting with a reduced ischial support and an enhanced lumbar support (Off-Loading) on load, interface pressure and muscle activities.

Finite element analysis for evaluation of pressure ulcer on the buttock: development and validation.

The interface pressure is currently the only clinical tool to estimate the risk of sitting-related pressure ulcers. However, it provides little information on the loading condition in deep tissues. We present a comprehensive 3-D finite element (FE) model for human buttocks with the consideration of the joint configuration and realistic boundary conditions in a sitting posture.

Measuring tissue perfusion during pressure relief maneuvers: insights into preventing pressure ulcers.

Background/objective: To study the effect on tissue perfusion of relieving interface pressure using standard wheelchair pushups compared with a mechanical automated dynamic pressure relief system.

Design: Repeated measures in 2 protocols on 3 groups of subjects.

Participants: Twenty individuals with motor-complete paraplegia below T4, 20 with motor-complete tetraplegia, and 20 able-bodied subjects.

Periodically relieving ischial sitting load to decrease the risk of pressure ulcers.

Objective: To investigate the relieving effect on interface pressure of an alternate sitting protocol involving a sitting posture that reduces ischial support.

Design: Repeated measures in 2 protocols on 3 groups of subjects.

Setting: Laboratory.