New Gear-Shifting wheelchair aims to save shoulders
NCT ID NCT05776030
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new multi-speed ergonomic wheelchair designed to reduce shoulder overuse injuries common in manual wheelchair users. Thirty adults who use a manual wheelchair daily will try different gear ratios on various surfaces. The goal is to see if the design improves propulsion efficiency and reduces pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Multi-speed ergonomic wheelchair
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this wheelchair design could reduce shoulder pain and make daily tasks easier for manual wheelchair users.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The new wheelchair may not be more effective than current models.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria: * Uses manual wheelchair daily * Mass less than 125 kg * Age 18 or older * Decisional competency to provide consent and cognitive ability to participate fully in study procedures * Body size appropriate to fit the wheelchairs (16" and 18" seat widths) Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion criteria: * Sitting surface pressure injuries * Flap procedure to address pressure injury less than one year earlier * Unable to obtain clinically acceptable seating system for study wheelchairs * Not able to propel a manual wheelchair * Upper extremity or spine issues which would make this study unsafe, such as recent surgeries, fractures, tendon tears or nerve impingement (will be assessed by SCI physician - Dr. Byron Eddy) * Medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, or other conditions that would make the study procedures unsafe (will be assessed by SCI physician - Dr. Byron Eddy)
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
RECRUITINGMinneapolis, Minnesota, 55417-2309, United States
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