Badminton wheelchairs are used by athletes and sportsmen who have suffered injuries. The main purpose of badminton wheelchairs is to reduce the physical impact on the player’s body and also increase the range of motion. Several studies have been done on the effect of badminton wheelchairs on the athlete’s performance. These studies have focused on the kinetic and spatiotemporal parameters of a 20-meter wheelchair.
Para badminton
Para badminton is a sport that can be played by athletes with physical impairments. It is a sport that uses a racket, a shuttlecock, and a court. The goal of para-badminton is to hit the shuttlecock over the net.
To play wheelchair badminton, you must have a health condition that affects your upper or lower limbs, either permanently or temporarily. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) puts each player into one of six “sports classes.”
Standing Class SL3: This classification is for individuals who have a physical impairment of the walking balance, upper limbs, or upper torso. They may have congenital dysgenesis, achondroplasia, hip dysplasia, ankylosis, or other disabilities.
Sport Class WH1: Athletes in this classification have a minimally severe impairment of the upper or lower limbs. They may have arthrogryposis, multiple sclerosis, hypertonia, and trauma-related arthrodesis.
Wheelchair Class: Players who are in this classification have a moderate or lesser impairment of the upper limbs or lower limbs. They may have hip dysplasia, cerebral palsy, and other neurological conditions.
Adaptation of wheelchairs for athletes with disabilities
Adapted wheelchairs are used by athletes with disabilities in many sports. These types of equipment are designed to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Using a wheelchair for a sport requires that you have a high level of fitness. Luckily, there are several options for wheelchair users to choose from.
Adaptive sports are a great way to get stronger, have more stamina, and think more positively about life. It also helps teach you compensatory strategies.
Adapted wheelchairs are used for a variety of sports, including tennis, basketball, and softball. Typically, these sports are played singles or doubles. The most advanced chairs use cambered wheels to facilitate play.
A study conducted by the National Sports Center for the Disabled found that playing the appropriate sport benefited the quality of life of people with mobility impairments. Specifically, a study on mild cerebral palsy revealed that identifying as an athlete boosted one’s quality of life.
Kinetic and spatiotemporal parameters in a 20-meter wheelchair
The present study investigated the differences in energy expenditure, kinetic, and kinematic parameters in a 20-meter wheelchair. In order to do this, a motion capture system was used to record the kinematics of the wheelchair.
The study was conducted at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Minneapolis. Twenty-two experienced adult mWCUs with paraplegia participated in the study. They pushed their manual wheelchairs over various surfaces.
Each surface was evaluated to determine the average start-up velocity and contact angle. A 30-point moving average was used to smooth the curve of the angular distance. This allowed for a more accurate measurement of the angular distance.
Average start-up velocities were significantly slower on ramps, interlocking pavers, wood flooring, and grass. Forces and wheel torque were also significantly higher on each surface than steady-state propulsion on level concrete.
The peak velocity was not significantly different between ramps, interlocking pavers, and wood flooring. However, peak braking force was significantly lower on ramps, interlocking pavers, grass, and wood flooring.
Measurement of forces that are useful for propulsion
Badminton wheelchairs require specific forces in order to propel. Internal mechanical work and medially oriented forces are examples of these. The latter are referred to as propulsive tangential forces. In order to transfer these forces, it is necessary to develop contact friction. However, calculating these forces has been complicated by a number of limitations.
For example, the size of the centripetal force changes based on how fast the wheel is spinning. So, it is important to know how strong these forces are because they can be used to figure out how well the wheelchair works. A force’s effectiveness is also measured by how much force it applies compared to how much torque it makes. A 2% difference between these two profiles has been measured. This means that the forces that are oriented in the middle of the side are not taken into account when figuring out how effective the forces are. It also means that, even though these forces are necessary to move a wheelchair, they are not taken into account when figuring out how strong a force is.