Reliability and minimal detectable change of a new treadmill-based progressive workload incremental test to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in manual wheelchair users

This study examines a new test for measuring fitness in manual wheelchair users. The test involves pushing a wheelchair on a treadmill while the speed and slope increase. The researchers wanted to see if the test gives consistent results when repeated. Twenty-five wheelchair users performed the test twice, and their fitness levels were measured each time. The results showed that the test is reliable, meaning it provides similar results when repeated. This suggests it can be used to track changes in fitness over time. The test can help healthcare professionals create exercise plans for wheelchair users and track their progress. The time to exhaustion and number of completed increments can also be used as reliable measures when oxygen consumption measurement is not possible.

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  The WPTTreadmill demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability for most outcome measures, indicating its consistency in assessing cardiorespiratory fitness among MWUs.
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  Time to exhaustion (TTE) and the number of completed increments also exhibited excellent test-retest reliability, suggesting their utility as reliable outcome measures when VO2 measurement is not feasible.
• 3
  The WPTTreadmill can be completed by most MWUs, including those with high thoracic or cervical SCI having basic wheelchair skills and with stable cardiovascular and autonomic functions.