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Multi-speed Ergonomic Wheelchair

NCT05776030 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2026-04-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Over one million Americans rely on their upper extremities for manual wheelchair propulsion. Shoulder overuse injuries are prevalent among manual wheelchair users and these injuries often result in shoulder pain. Severe shoulder pain can lead some wheelchair users to transition from manual to powered mobility, complicating transportation, and reducing independence in activities of daily living. This project will expand the understanding of a new wheelchair design that allows better positioning of the hand rims and allows for different gearing. The investigators will study steady-state propulsion efficiency with different gear ratios and develop a new system with multiple gear ratios. The advanced gearing will allow for a low gear when initiating movement, going uphill, or when moving over carpet, and then a higher gear option for movements on hard flat level terrain. This system has the potential to dramatically improve shoulder ergonomics and reduce pain in many future manual wheelchair users.

Conditions

  • Spinal Cord Diseases
  • Spinal Cord Injuries

Interventions

DEVICE

Single Speed Ergonomic Wheelchair

Ergonomic wheelchair. The ergonomic wheelchair was developed by the MADE program and has anterior placed hand rims that are connected with a bicycle chain. In Aim 1, Participants will use the ergonomic wheelchair to test 3 different gear ratios. 1. 2:3 2. 1:1 3. 3:2

DEVICE

Multi-Speed Ergonomic Wheelchair

The multi-speed ergonomic wheelchair will be developed by the MADE program and will use a two-hand rim design so the participant can change gears by changing hand rims.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • VA Office of Research and Development

    lead FED

Principal Investigators

  • John M Looft, PhD · Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-07-18
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2027-03-31
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05776030 on ClinicalTrials.gov