Supraspinatus proximity to the acromion in manual wheelchair users during common propulsion strategies

Daily use of a manual wheelchair (MWC) has been identified as a potential source of shoulder pain in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Compression of the rotator cuff soft tissue beneath the coracoacromial (CA) arch is hypothesized to contribute to this pain. This study aimed to determine the difference in estimated compression risk of the supraspinatus (SS) under the acromion between (1) common propulsion strategies, arc (ARC) and semi-circular (SC) propulsion; and (2) preferred and coached strategies. In a laboratory setting, ARC and SC propulsion did not significantly differ in compression risk during either push or recovery phases; however, individually preferred strategies trended toward lower estimates of compression risk. Future work will investigate the kinematics associated with these differences.