Design of an adjustable wheelchair for table tennis participation

Abstract

Purpose

Physical activity and recreation are very important for people with disabilities and provide benefits for self-esteem, social relationships, employment, rehabilitation, and education. Para Table Tennis is an adaptive sport where participants compete in table tennis while sitting in a wheelchair. However, athletes generally use their everyday wheelchair instead of a device specifically designed for the sport. The specific support, movements, and posture needed to participate in table tennis at the highest level are different than general day-to-day mobility and a device could be optimized for the sport. This research describes the development of a wheelchair specifically designed for para table tennis.

Materials and methods

The design followed a participatory action design approach which identified the specific needs for a wheelchair to be used during para table tennis.

Results

Three design needs were identified which included 1) locking the casters in the forward direction, 2) ability to raise the seat height as high as possible while allowing the user's knees to fit under the table, and 3) adjustable seat angle which will allow some users to have anterior tilt to get their trunk even higher while other users could have posterior tilt for stability. A new chair meeting these needs was designed and prototyped.

Conclusions

Para table tennis has some specific requirements related to movements and posture which were improved by a new wheelchair design specific for the sport.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Many adaptive sports are improved with sport specific technology.

• A model client was used to develop a wheelchair specifically for adaptive table tennis.

• The height and angle of the seat of the new wheelchair can be adjusted for optimal stability and reach.

• The casters of the new wheelchair can be locked to allow only forward and backward motion

Keywords:

• Adaptive sports
• paralympics
• table tennis
• sport wheelchair

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Senior Career Scientist Award [B9269-L] and the Rehabilitation Research and Development [B2988C]. It was also supported by the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) [90AR5021] and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Foundation. The contents of this paper do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.