Manual wheelchair skills capacity predicts quality of life and community integration in persons with spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To determine wheelchair (WC) skills success rates for manual WC users with spinal cord injury (SCI), to determine subject characteristics associated with the lowest success rates of WC skills, and to characterize the relationship between WC skills and measures of community integration and quality of life (QOL).


METHODS
Cross-sectional multisite study.


METHODS
Six Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) centers.


METHODS
Individuals with SCI (N=214) who were at least 11 months postinjury, treated at an SCIMS center, and who used a manual WC as their primary means of mobility.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) and questionnaires of demographics and characteristics, QOL, and community participation.


RESULTS
Of the 31 skills in the WST assessed, success rates ranged from 19.6% to 100%. Eight skills had success rates of ≤75%: folding/unfolding the WC (71.5%), ascending (19.6%) and descending (47.2%) a 15-cm curb, ascending (23.2%) and descending (26.5%) stairs, transferring from ground to WC (40.6%), turning 180° in wheelie position (55.2%), and holding a 30-second stationary wheelie (59.9%). Male sex, paraplegia, employed status, lower education, younger age at injury, and white race were among the participant characteristics bivariately associated with higher success rates of several WC skills. After controlling for covariates, higher success rates of several WC skills and a higher total WST score predicted better self-perceived health, higher life satisfaction, and more community participation.


CONCLUSIONS
For people with SCI who use a manual WC as their primary means of mobility, their ability to perform manual WC skills is associated with higher community participation and life satisfaction. Factors contributing to low success rates need to be investigated, and interventions to improve these rates are needed.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Shahla M
SM
Hosseini
Michelle L
ML
Oyster
R Lee
RL
Kirby
Amanda L
AL
Harrington
Michael L
ML
Boninger
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D062309:Community Integration / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D010264:Paraplegia; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult