Upper limb nerve entrapments in elite wheelchair racers

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1996 May-Jun;75(3):170-6. doi: 10.1097/00002060-199605000-00002.

Abstract

The prevalence of upper limb nerve injuries has been reported to be as high as 73% in individuals who rely on manual wheelchairs for mobility. Many authors hypothesize that the repetitive trauma to carpal canal structures caused by propelling a wheelchair is the reason for this high prevalence. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of nerve conduction abnormalities in a group of elite wheelchair racers whose wrists are exposed to additional propulsion-related trauma during training and competition. We performed bilateral upper limb nerve conduction studies on each athlete (n = 12). The racers pushed their chairs an average of 56 miles a week for training purposes. Fifty percent of the athletes (n = 6) had evidence of median mononeuropathy by nerve conduction. Of these 6 racers, 5 had evidence of mononeuropathy bilaterally, making a total of 11 positive hands of the 23 tested. Twenty-five percent of the athletes had evidence of ulnar mononeuropathy at the wrist, and 25% had evidence of ulnar mononeuropathy at the elbow. Seventeen percent of athletes had evidence of radial nerve injury. Years with a disability accounted for a significant amount of the variance in the mean median sensory amplitude (R2 = 0.511; P = 0.020) and the mean ulnar palmar amplitude (R2 = 0.605; P = 0.008). Variables not correlated with nerve conduction studies include age, hours per day in a wheelchair not spent training, years competing, and number of miles pushed in training. Despite the amount of time spent training these wheelchair athletes have a similar or lower prevalence of median mononeuropathy then reported in the general wheelchair-using population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Athletic Injuries / physiopathology*
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Cumulative Trauma Disorders / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Forearm / innervation*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Median Nerve / injuries
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Compression Syndromes / physiopathology*
  • Neural Conduction*
  • Peripheral Nerves / physiopathology*
  • Radial Nerve / injuries
  • Time Factors
  • Ulnar Nerve / injuries
  • Wheelchairs