Measurement System of Transfer Motion for Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the side-approach transfer ability of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. We evaluated the skill and muscle strength of SCI patients when performing the transfer motion by imaging the movements involved in each patient´s transfer motion and measuring the floor reaction forces. The measurements of the side-approach transfer from the patient´s wheelchair to a platform were carried out in 11 SCI patients who were trained to perform the side-approach transfer during rehabilitation and in two healthy subjects. We proposed a weight ratio for the left hand and the force direction for the left hand in each of the three periods (i.e., the trunk-up period , the buttock-up period , and the buttock-down period ) to analyze the transfer motion. The SCI patients can raise their hips high and easily perform transfers by greatly inclining their bodies, so we estimated the inclination degree of the trunk using a side-view image during the transfer motion. Using the weight ratio, the force direction of the left hand, and the inclination degree of the trunk, the medical staff can evaluate a patient´s potential ability to make side-approach transfer movements and can accordingly train the patient.