Person:
Sprigle,
Stephen
Sprigle,
Stephen
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ORCID
0000-0003-0462-0138
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ItemCharacterization of Power Wheelchair Use in the Home and Community(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Harris, Frances ; Maurer, Christine L.Objective: To characterize the use of power wheelchairs and to determine if multiple measures of mobility and occupancy jointly provide a more comprehensive picture of wheelchair usage and daily activity in full-time power wheelchair users than daily distance alone. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Subjects’ everyday mobility was measured in their homes and communities for two weeks and prompted recall interviews were conducted by phone. Participants: A convenience sample of 25 non-ambulatory, full-time power wheelchair users. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Wheelchair usage was logged electronically and GPS / interview data were used to isolate chair use to home, indoors but not at home and outdoor environments. Distance wheeled, time spent wheeling, number of bouts, time spent in the wheelchair and the percent of time in the wheelchair spent wheeling were measured to describe wheelchair use. Results: The median wheelchair user spent 10.6 hours (5.0-16.6) in his/her wheelchair daily and wheeled 1.085 km (0.238-10.585) over 58 minutes (16-173) and 110 bouts (36-282). Wheelchair use varied across subjects, within subjects from day-to-day, and between environments. Mobility bouts outdoors were longer and faster than those wheeled indoors. In a regression analysis, distance wheeled explained only 33% of the variation in the number of bouts and 75% in the time spent wheeling. Conclusions: Power wheelchair use varies widely both within and between individuals. Measuring distance, time and number of bouts provides a clearer picture of mobility patterns than measuring distance alone, while occupancy helps to measure wheelchair function in daily activities.
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ItemEffect of model design, cushion construction, and interface pressure mats on interface pressure and immersion(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008) Pipkin, Leigh ; Sprigle, StephenMeasuring interface pressure (IP) is one way to characterize cushion performance in the clinic and laboratory. This study explored how the presence of four commercially available IP mats affected IP on and immersion of two buttocks models. We loaded seven cushions with each buttocks model and captured pressure data using FSA sensors (Vista Medical Ltd; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Analysis was performed to compare pressure magnitude and immersion. Overall, both pressure magnitude and immersion changed after mat introduction. A significant interaction existed between cushion and mat condition and cushion and model for all variables. Introducing an IP mat to the model-cushion interface alters the loading on the cushion. The mats bridged the contours of the model, causing a change in IP at the locations studied. Although immersion was statistically different between mat conditions, the magnitude of the difference was less than 1 mm once we accounted for the thickness of the mats. The significance of the cushion-mat interaction indicates that the mat effect differed across cushion design. Clinical and research users of pressure mats should consider the effect of mat presence, the effect of model design, and mat and buttocks interactions with cushions for successful use.
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ItemResearch Priorities: Seating and Positioning(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007) Sprigle, StephenThe Wheeled Mobility State of the Science Conference, hosted by the mobilityRERC at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was a forum to identify and discuss important research topics. The Conference was configured around Breakout Groups which were assigned specific research topics. These topics were selected via dot-voting by Conference attendees. The charge to the Breakout Groups was simple, yet unattainable: “Configure your research topic into a research project”. They were provided with general guidelines to identify research questions, specific aims or hypotheses, significance, study design possibilities, recruitment considerations, measurement variables and tools, analysis considerations, and anticipated challenges. This article summarizes the discussions from the Seating and Positioning Breakout Groups. The four research topics selected for discussion were: Impact of a seating and mobility intervention, Defining a systematic clinical approach to cushion selection, Functional impact of wheelchair cushions, and Long term impact of sitting. One member of each Group documented the discussion and a summary presentation was made to all Conference attendees. The following synopses were compiled from the Group notes and presentation. They are presented in sequence and reflect variability in discussion, presentation and content. Some research topics were more amenable to the suggested guidelines than others.
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ItemA method for identifying human-generated forces during an extensor thrust(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006) Hong, Seong-Wook ; Patrangenaru, Vlad ; Singhose, William ; Sprigle, StephenBackground. Involuntary extensor thrust experienced by wheelchair users with neurological disorders may cause injuries via impact with the wheelchair, lead to the occupant sliding out of the seat, and also damage the wheelchair. The concept of a dynamic seat, which allows movement of a seat with respect to the wheelchair frame, has been suggested as a potential solution to provide greater freedom and safety. Objective. Knowledge of the human-generated motion and forces during unconstrained extensor thrust events is of great importance in developing more comfortable and effective dynamic seats. The objective of this study was to develop a method to identify human-generated motions and forces during extensor thrust events. Methods. An experimental system was developed to determine the motions of the wheelchair user and the forces at the foot rest. An inverse dynamic approach was employed along with a three-link human body model and a system for measuring human body motion. Results. Two kinds of experiments were performed: the first experiment validated the proposed model, and the second experiment showed the effects of the extensor thrust speed, the footrest angle, and the seatback angle. The proposed method was tested by a sensitivity analysis, from which a performance index was deduced to help indicate the robust region of the force identification. Conclusions. A system to determine human-generated motions and forces during unconstrained extensor thrusts was developed. Through experiments and simulations, the developed system was proven effective and reliable.