THFRAME: Novo equipamento para personalização de bancos de arremesso

Abstract

Athletes who use wheelchairs and compete in the throwing events for seated athlete use equipment called throwing frame. This equipment aims to provide the athlete greater stability and freedom during the throw. Currently, throwing frame have simple configurations and generally do not consider athletes' anthropometric characteristics. The goal of this research is to develop a new equipment, called THFRAME, designed to evaluate the athlete's seated posture, adapt to his anthropometric measurements through adjustable elements and monitor the pressure under the seat to customize throwing frame. THFRAME was developed following rules defined by the International Paralympic Committee. The structural part of the equipment was evaluated using finite element modeling and the structure proved to be rigid for the imposed loads. The equipment was manufactured and the first tests performed with athletes indicated that the adjustments of the THFRAME provided safety and comfort for them. During the evaluation of the athletes, the pressure distribution under the seat showed an increase of the contact area in the buttocks and thighs, indicating that the athlete's seated support base was optimized through the adjustments of the equipment. The seated condition with adjustments presented lower contact pressure values to the condition without posture adjustments, yet the pressure values found in this evaluation are considered critical for the formation of pressure injuries. The analysis of different pressure levels under the seat of THFRAME indicates that the postural adjustments provided by the equipment improved support base, essential for the function of the upper limbs. The evaluation of the parameters mentioned above allowed the prescription of customized throwing frames for athletes.