Sitting Pressure Measurements in Wheelchair Users—Can the Effects of Daily Relief Activities Be Depicted?

Müller R, Oette C, Oette C, Schreff L, Abel R (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Sensors MDPI

Book Volume: 24

Article Number: 3806

Journal Issue: 12

DOI: 10.3390/s24123806

Abstract

Seat pressure measurements in wheelchair users have been available for some time; however, repeated measurements from a commercially available pressure mat over 90 min did not differ in the pressure-loaded measurement area or the coordinates of the center of pressure, even in participants who were able to reposition themselves in the wheelchair. The question therefore arises: to what extent are there other parameters that reflect the activity of wheelchair users with the pressure mat? To investigate this, a commercial pressure mat (BodiTrak®) was used to perform the measurements of pressure of 33 adult wheelchair-dependent people with spinal cord injury after 30 and 90 min sitting on the cushion. In addition to the standard output of the pressure mat, graph-based surface analyses (calculation of the area of maximum pressure, calculation of the pressure-loaded measurement area, and pressure–area ratio) was performed retrospectively using Python 3.7. The analysis of the measurements after 30 and 90 min was performed by distinguishing the participants between those who could actively change their position (N = 24) and those who could not (N = 9). The parameters of the pressure mat and the graph-based analyses remained unchanged for active participants. In participants who were unable to actively change their position, the area of maximum pressure and the pressure–area ratio (ratio of maximum pressure area and total pressure-loaded area) increased. Significant differences between minutes 30 and 90 are only found for the pressure–area ratio. Thus, when measuring the seat pressure of wheelchair users, the pressure–area ratio should be taken into account as it reflects the daily relief activities of wheelchair users.

Involved external institutions

Hawk Intelligent Technologies GmbH DE Germany (DE) Klinikum Bayreuth DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Müller, R., Oette, C., Oette, C., Schreff, L., & Abel, R. (2024). Sitting Pressure Measurements in Wheelchair Users—Can the Effects of Daily Relief Activities Be Depicted? Sensors, 24(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/s24123806

MLA:

Müller, Roy, et al. "Sitting Pressure Measurements in Wheelchair Users—Can the Effects of Daily Relief Activities Be Depicted?" Sensors 24.12 (2024).

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