Abstract
This study determines the ability of people with tetraplegia, specifically wheelchair rugby players, to propel themselves in their rugby wheelchair. The paper makes a comparison between three groups of athletes: those who had undergone a Deltoid - Triceps Transfer (DTT) procedure; those who had some triceps function; and those with no triceps function. It is intended that this analysis will assist in informing current wheelchair classification processes, specifically for those athletes with DTT. A total of 17 athletes were tested and their data analysed using numerical differentiation and modeling to derive a quantitative performance indicator of maximum wheelchair propulsion power. Results showed that the no triceps and DTT groups performed similarly with a mean of 26W and 19W respectively. Both of these groups were under half the power output of the triceps group who achieved a mean propulsion power of 65.5W.