A research group led by Associate Professor Yohei Okada of Kio University has demonstrated that even if Parkinson's disease patients have difficulty propelling a manual wheelchair, they are able to move smoothly and at a sufficient speed in a pedal-powered wheelchair.
Parkinson's disease patients may need to use a wheelchair in their daily lives because their walking ability decreases as the disease progresses. However, even when using a manual wheelchair, the driving ability is often limited, which is an issue.
On the other hand, it is known that Parkinson's disease patients relatively retain their ability to pedal a bicycle, so in this study we focused on a "pedaled wheelchair" that can be propelled by pedal operation and examined its effectiveness.
With the cooperation of two Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait, the driving ability of a foot-powered wheelchair and a manual wheelchair was compared for a 2-meter straight course. Case 10 was able to drive the foot-powered wheelchair at approximately six times the speed of the manual wheelchair and complete the course. Case 1 had a strong forward-leaning posture, which caused the manual wheelchair to stop midway, but the foot-powered wheelchair allowed the patient to complete the course at a sufficient speed.
From the above, it became clear that the propulsion ability of a foot-powered wheelchair for Parkinson's disease patients is much higher than that of a conventional manual wheelchair. Even for patients whose propulsion ability in a manual wheelchair is significantly reduced, it is believed that by introducing a foot-powered wheelchair, they will be able to move more smoothly and at a sufficient speed compared to a manual wheelchair.
For Parkinson's disease patients, being able to move freely in their daily lives is extremely important, and the introduction of a foot-powered wheelchair is expected to contribute to improving their quality of life. In the future, we plan to continue testing more practical foot-powered wheelchairs, such as those that can change direction and be operated in tight spaces.
Paper information: [Movement Disorders Clinical Practice] The Cycling Wheelchair as a New Mobility Aid for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease
