An Overview of Wheelchair Basketball With Implications for Life Care Planning

Journal of Life Care Planning · 2025-12-01

Wheelchair basketball is a sport that can benefit individuals with lower extremity impairment. Benefits include improved and enhanced physical and psychological health along with opportunities for socialization. As a wellrecognized and available sport in our communities. Life Care planners should consider wheelchair basketball programs when making recommendations to for adolescents and young adults who are interested in being active. Wheelchair basketball was created as a result of World War II veterans returning to the United States with rehabilitation needs. These men were able-bodied while serving their country but returned in large numbers with frostbite/cold injuries, radiation injuries, paraplegia and/or amputation; conditions that commonly limited their ability to walk (Veterans and Their Needs, n.d.). Veterans were interested in becoming more active while recuperating and sought outlets for improving their lives. Prior to World War II, people commonly died after having a spinal cord injury (SCI) but with the advent of penicillin and sulfa drugs and a better understanding of complications (i.e., urinary tract and skin infections), individuals survived (National Spinal Cord Injury Association [NSCIA], 1995).

Examining University Student Podcasts and Evaluating Apps Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)

The Journal of Educators Online · 2023 · 2 citations

• Computer Science
• Computer Science
• Psychology

Podcasts can have a positive impact on students' online experiences in higher education.University students in groups of 5-7 created podcasts for an online Survey of Diseases and Disabilities course.To facilitate quality podcast creation, we identified the best mobile application tools using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).MARS is an easy-to-use multidimensional app quality rating scale requiring minimal training useful for selecting the highest performing podcast software to aid students in generating high-quality podcasts.After creating their podcasts, the students completed a survey about their experience to determine their perspectives of audio podcasts in relation to course content review and to identify the locations where students primarily listened to the podcasts.Most students felt that the summarization components of the podcast assignment improved their understanding of class content and listened to the podcasts at home or on a walk.Students with competing demands appreciated the flexibility podcasts provided, particularly if they were auditory learners.When implementing new technology, we recommend investing time upfront to evaluate digital technology to maximize student learning.

Perceptions of Adults With Spinal Cord Injury or Disease Before and After Riding in an Autonomous Shuttle

American Journal of Occupational Therapy · 2022 · 2 citations

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Physical therapy

Abstract Date Presented 04/02/2022 This study quantified changes in perceptions of adults with a spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) before and after an autonomous shuttle (AS) ride. Sixteen adults with an SCI/D and 16 age- and gender-matched controls completed surveys before and after a 15-minute AS ride. Perceived barriers to AS decreased after riding for both groups. Understanding perceptions regarding an AS may promote increased acceptance, adoption, and transportation equity for individuals with SCI/D. Primary Author and Speaker: Sherrilene Classen Contributing Authors: Justin Mason, Hannah Burns, Jordan Joseph, Emily Fox, Heidi E, Hannah Snyder, Lou Demark, Carolyn S. Hanson

Driving Motor Recovery After Stroke

Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation · 2008-09-01 · 48 citations

There have been exciting new discoveries over the past two decades regarding how plastic the adult brain is in response to behavioral experience, such as motor training. Increases in brain trophic factors and upregulation of protein-controlling genes, increases in synaptogenesis, and increases or alterations in motor representations are a few of the neural adaptations observed in response to motor skill training. This neural reorganization after stroke is seen as critical to enhancing upper extremity function, and many therapy protocols have preliminary evidence for their impact on neural reorganization and efficacy in facilitating improvements in motor functioning. Yet, there remain many questions regarding how to predict which particular participants with stroke will respond to the therapy, how great of a response can be expected, how intense therapy should be, and the exact nature of the best practice schedule. In this article, we briefly review the basic science literature demonstrating behavior-induced neural reorganization and then review the evidence for several of the most commonly studied motor rehabilitation interventions for humans with stroke.

The Relationship Between Strength, Pain, and Community Integration in Wheelchair Users: A Pilot Study

Occupational Therapy In Health Care · 2003-01-01 · 2 citations

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the differences between wheelchair users and their matched able-bodied controls in grip strength, pain (as expressed by scores on the McGill Pain Questionnaire [MPQ]), and community integration (as expressed by scores on the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique [CHART]). We also explored the relationships among community integration, pain, strength, and demographic variables. Thirteen wheelchair users and 13 able-bodied participants were matched for gender, age, and activity level. The wheelchair-user group had significantly greater scores on the MPQ and significantly lower scores on the CHART. Step-wise multiple regression analyses revealed that the best predictor for pain was age for the wheelchair-user group and activity for the able-bodied group. The best predictor of the CHART for the wheelchair-user group was grip strength. In conclusion, pain was associated with age for the wheelchair-user group and with activity for the able-bodied group. In addition, grip strength was associated with community integration for the wheelchair-user group.

Variable-ratio pushrim-activated power-assist wheelchair eases wheeling over a variety of terrains for elders11A commercial party with a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has conferred or will confer a financial benefit on the author or 1 or more of the authors

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation · 2003-12-31 · 46 citations

The Relationship Between Strength, Pain, and Community Integration in Wheelchair Users: A Pilot Study

Occupational Therapy In Health Care · 2003-01-01 · 4 citations

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the differences between wheelchair users and their matched able-bodied controls in grip strength, pain (as expressed by scores on the McGill Pain Questionnaire [MPQ]), and community integration (as expressed by scores on the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique [CHART]). We also explored the relationships among community integration, pain, strength, and demographic variables. Thirteen wheelchair users and 13 able-bodied participants were matched for gender, age, and activity level. The wheelchair-user group had significantly greater scores on the MPQ and significantly lower scores on the CHART. Step-wise multiple regression analyses revealed that the best predictor for pain was age for the wheelchair-user group and activity for the able-bodied group. The best predictor of the CHART for the wheelchair-user group was grip strength. In conclusion, pain was associated with age for the wheelchair-user group and with activity for the able-bodied group. In addition, grip strength was associated with community integration for the wheelchair-user group.

ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC COMPARISON OF WHEELCHAIR PROPULSION USING MANUAL AND POWER-ASSISTED CHAIRS

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2002-05-01 · 2 citations

Pushrim-activated power-assist wheelchairs (PAW) use lightweight motors and batteries to augment manual propulsion. The advantages and disadvantages of this new technology compared to conventional propulsion have not been examined extensively. PURPOSE: To compare muscle activation during wheelchair propulsion between a manual wheelchair and a PAW on three surfaces. METHODS: Eight male and three female wheelchair users (age 70.5 ± 7.8 y) were asked to propel on a flat vinyl or wooden floor (100 m), a carpeted floor (20 m), and a 6-m ramp (5° in slope) using both their manual wheelchairs and a PAW. Eight muscles—extensor carpi radialis (ECR), triceps brachii (TRB), antero-middle (AMD) and postero-middle (PMD) deltoids, pectoralis major (PCM), latissimus dorsi (LTM), rectus abdominis (REA), and erector spinae (ERS)—were monitored using surface EMG techniques. The average EMG amplitude per stroke was computed. For each parameter, a repeated measures Wilcoxon test was used to test for the difference between the wheelchairs.Figure: No Caption Available.RESULTS: Significantly lower EMG levels were found in PAW in four or five muscles in each of the surfaces (#p ≤ .01, *p ≤ .05). CONCLUSION: In general, propelling a PAW requires lower muscular effort than a manual wheelchair. The PAW has the potential to increase the mobility of wheelchair-dependent individuals. Supported in part by NIDRR (through Rehab Engr Res Ctr on Aging) and DeltaGlide Inc.

Body image and exercise in people with and without acquired mobility disability

Disability and Rehabilitation · 2002-01-01 · 50 citations

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine whether differences existed in self-perceived body image between adults with and without Acquired Mobility Disability (AMD), and whether a relationship existed between exercise and self-perceived body image in adults with AMD. METHOD: Thirty adults with AMD were paired with 30 able-bodied controls and matched on gender, age, ethnicity and exercise level. Both groups completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) which measures body image on 10 subscales related to appearance, fitness, health/illness, body-areas satisfaction and weight-related attitude. RESULTS: A 2 x 2 two-way ANOVA, with disability (AMD vs able-bodied) and exercise (active vs non-active) serving as the main factors, was used to examine group differences of each on the 10 subscales of the MBSRQ separately. Results indicated that there was a significant interaction between disability and exercise on Health Orientation [F(1, 56) = 22.46, p = 0.000]. Post-hoc analysis indicated that active able-bodied individuals scored higher on the health orientation subscale than the other three subgroups. No other comparisons on health orientation were significant. There was a significant main effect of disability on appearance orientation [F(1, 56) = 10.44, p = 0.002] and health evaluation [F(1, 56) = 10.48, p = 0.002], and a significant main effect of exercise on appearance evaluation [F(1, 56) = 10.75, p = 0.002] and fitness orientation [F(1, 56) = 40.96, p = 0.000]. The AMD group scored higher on appearance orientation than the able-bodied group, whereas the able-bodied group scored higher on health evaluation. The physically active group scored higher than the non-active group on appearance evaluation and fitness orientation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that individuals with AMD rated their body image comparable to the able-bodied controls except in the attention paid to appearance and perceptions about physical health. When taking the effect size of the main effect of exercise into consideration, the members of the active mobility disability group appear to evaluate their physical appearance (appearance evaluation) and health (health evaluation) better, are more concerned with fitness (fitness orientation) and more satisfied with different body parts (body areas satisfaction) when compared to their non-active mobility disability counterparts. The potential role of exercise on improving body image in individuals with mobility disabilities should be systematically investigated.

Effect of Participation in Physical Activity on Body Image of Amputees

American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · 2002-03-01 · 136 citations

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine body image in individuals with amputations and to determine if a relationship exists between body image and level of participation in physical activity and sports. A secondary objective was to examine correlations between two body-image assessments. DESIGN: A nonrandomized survey was given to a convenience-volunteer sample of individuals of at least 18 yr of age with a lower limb amputation. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants were active and 32 were minimally active. Statistical significance was preset at P < 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval. An overall significant difference was found between groups on the MBSRQ and on three of the 10 MBSRQ subscales. Significant correlations were found between six MBSRQ subscales and the ABIS. CONCLUSION: A positive relationship was found between regular participation in physical activity and body image among lower limb amputees.