Upper-limb musculoskeletal disorder prevention during wheelchair propulsion: effect of wheelchair settings

Handrim wheelchair propulsion is an important vector of upper-limb injuries. Hence, much more than for the rest of the worldwide population, for wheelchair users the upper limb is the place ofmost commonmusculoskeletal disorders. During wheelchair propulsion, movement amplitude and repetition, proximity of joint limits, overweight users and vertical forces are commonly admitted as the main risk factors of upper-limb injuries (Putz-Anderson 1988; PutzAnderson et al. 1997; Aptel et al. 2007). Thus, to improve wheelchair configuration, we propose an upper-limb musculoskeletal disorder prevention index in relation to user anthropometry and upperlimb kinematics during propulsion. Furthermore, this work is a contribution to the ANR SACR-FRM project.