Practice improves court mobility and self-efficacy in tennis-specific wheelchair propulsion.

Purpose: Wheelchair tennis (WT) propulsion is uniquely characterized by the requirement for racket holding coupled with effective hand-rim contact. Thus, investigations involving strategies to enhance chair mobility skills are merited. The aim was to examine the effects of organized practice on WT match play responses and the impact of racket holding during practice.

Measuring Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion in the Lab: A Critical Analysis of Stationary Ergometers.

There are many ways to simulate handrim wheelchair propulsion in the laboratory. Ideally, these would be able to, at least mechanically, simulate field conditions. This narrative review provides an overview of the lab-based equipment used in published research and critically assesses their ability to simulate and measure wheelchair propulsion performance.

The physiological and biomechanical effects of forwards and reverse sports wheelchair propulsion.

Objective: To explore the physiological and biomechanical differences between forwards (FOR) and reverse (REV) sports wheelchair propulsion.

Design: Fourteen able-bodied males with previous wheelchair propulsion experience pushed a sports wheelchair on a single-roller ergometer in a FOR and REV direction at three sub-maximal speeds (4, 6, and 8 km/hour). Each trial lasted 3 minutes, and during the final minute physiological and biomechanical measures was collected.

Criterion validity and accuracy of global positioning satellite and data logging devices for wheelchair tennis court movement.

Purpose: To compare the criterion validity and accuracy of a 1 Hz non-differential global positioning system (GPS) and data logger device (DL) for the measurement of wheelchair tennis court movement variables.

Methods: Initial validation of the DL device was performed. GPS and DL were fitted to the wheelchair and used to record distance (m) and speed (m/second) during (a) tennis field (b) linear track, and (c) match-play test scenarios.

Spinal cord injury level and the circulating cytokine response to strenuous exercise.

Purpose: A complete spinal cord injury (SCI) above the sixth thoracic vertebra (T6) results in the loss of sympathetic innervation of the adrenal medulla. This study examined the effect of a complete SCI above and below T6 on plasma concentrations of epinephrine, circulating interleukin 6 (IL-6) and other inflammatory cytokines in response to acute strenuous exercise.

Methods: Twenty-six elite male wheelchair athletes (8 = C6-C7 tetraplegic [TETRA], 10 = T6-L1 paraplegic [PARA], and 8 = non-spinal-cord-injured controls [NON-SCI]) performed a submaximal exercise test followed by a graded exercise to exhaustion on a motorized treadmill.

Wheelchair tennis match-play demands: effect of player rank and result.

Purpose: To examine the heart-rate (HR) response and court-movement variables during wheelchair tennis match play for high- (HIGH) and low- (LOW) performance-ranked players. Analysis of physiological and movement-based responses during match play offers an insight into the demands of tennis, allowing practical recommendations to be made.

Methods: Fourteen male open-class players were monitored during tournament match play.

The verification phase and reliability of physiological parameters in peak testing of elite wheelchair athletes.

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine the value of a verification phase (VER) in a peak testing protocol and (2) to assess the reliability of peak physiological variables in wheelchair athletes. On two separate days, eight tetraplegic (TETRA), eight paraplegic (PARA) and eight non-spinal cord-injured (NON-SCI) athletes performed treadmill ergometry, consisting of a graded exercise test to exhaustion (GXT) followed by a VER. Peak oxygen uptake (.

Effects of wheel and hand-rim size on submaximal propulsion in wheelchair athletes.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of fixed gear ratio wheel sizes on the physiological and biomechanical responses to submaximal wheelchair propulsion.

Methods: Highly trained wheelchair basketball players (N = 13) propelled an adjustable sports wheelchair in three different wheel sizes (24, 25, and 26 inches) on a motor-driven treadmill. Each wheel was equipped with force-sensing hand-rims (SMARTWheel), which collected kinetic and temporal data.

Effects of 4-weeks of asynchronous hand-rim wheelchair practice on mechanical efficiency and timing.

Purpose: To investigate the consequence on gross mechanical efficiency (GE), arm frequency and sub-maximal performance, of paced and unpaced practice during asynchronous hand-rim wheelchair propulsion.

Methods: Twenty-five able-bodied participants performed five, 4-min exercise bouts at 1.7 m/s, at the freely chosen frequency (FCF) and four paced arm frequencies of 60, 80, 120 and 140% FCF.

Wheelchair propulsion: effects of experience and push strategy on efficiency and perceived exertion.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of wheeling experience on efficiency, metabolic cost, and differentiated ratings of perceived exertion (RPEs) during synchronous and asynchronous hand-rim propulsion with varying arm frequencies. Fourteen able-bodied (AB) male participants and 8 male wheelchair sportsmen (WS) performed tests of peak oxygen consumption for both propulsion modes. Subsequently, 2 series of five 4-min sub-maximal exercise bouts were completed at an individualized velocity (60% of peak oxygen consumption).

A comparison between intermittent and constant wheelchair propulsion strategies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different synchronous push strategies on physiological parameters and temporal timing characteristics. Eight novice male able-bodied participants completed four counter-balanced conditions: two push strategies (constant pushing) and intermittent pushing (INT) at two push frequencies (40 and 70 pushes/min) at 27 W. The ANOVA main effects for frequency indicated that regardless of push strategy, oxygen cost and mechanical efficiency increased with an increase in push frequency (p < 0.