Propulsion effectiveness of synchronous handcycling

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of force application during submaximal handcycling. In a laboratory subjects propelled a kinetics-instrumented handcycle on a treadmill at 3 different speeds, while power output was kept constant at 35 W by a pulley system. Mean fraction of effective force (FEF) was between 79 and 83% and significantly influenced by the velocity. For 6 subjects a pattern of FEF was found showing an average FEF above 80% between -7 ° and 100 ° and between 205 ° and 310 ° of the crank rotation, where at 0 ° the crank is pointing towards the subject. It still has to be studied whether FEF and mechanical efficiency are related. A linked segment model analysis will be necessary to study the effect of gravity on the applied forces and joint torques.