Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (728 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Chairs or seating mounted on wheels and designed to be controlled or propelled by the occupant. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers power-operated vehicles (scooters), walkers, and wheelchairs as durable medical equipment.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Wheelchair; Wheel Chairs; Chairs, Wheel; Chair, Wheel; Wheel Chair.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Self-Help Devices
- Narrower topics
- Motorized Mobility Scooter
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 6,111 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Wheelchairs” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 1,402 of them (22.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 1,959 records.
Reviews account for 373 records (6.1%) and meta-analyses for 11. Randomized controlled trials number 221 (3.6%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,540 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,210 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,959 |
| 2020 onward | 1,402 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 373 | 6.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 11 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 221 | 3.6% |
Method: PubMed query "Wheelchairs"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Motor-Imagery EEG-Based BCIs in Wheelchair Movement and Control: A Systematic Literature Review [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The pandemic emergency of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shed light on the need for innovative aids, devices, and assistive technologies to enable people with severe disabilities to live their daily lives.
- Closing excerpt
- The results provided in this paper could highlight the limitations of current biomedical instrumentations applied to people with severe disabilities and bring focus to innovative research topics.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (139 words)
The pandemic emergency of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shed light on the need for innovative aids, devices, and assistive technologies to enable people with severe disabilities to live their daily lives. EEG-based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) can lead individuals with significant health challenges to improve their independence, facilitate participation in activities, thus enhancing overall well-being and preventing impairments. This systematic review provides state-of-the-art applications of EEG-based BCIs, particularly those using motor-imagery (MI) data, to wheelchair control and movement. It presents a thorough examination of the different studies conducted since 2010, focusing on the algorithm analysis, features extraction, features selection, and classification techniques used as well as on wheelchair components and performance evaluation. The results provided in this paper could highlight the limitations of current biomedical instrumentations applied to people with severe disabilities and bring focus to innovative research topics.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34577493 · DOI · PMC8473300
"When They See a Wheelchair, They've Not Even Seen Me"-Factors Shaping the Experience of Disability Stigma and Discrimination in Kenya [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Disability stigma in many low- and middle-income countries represents one of the most pervasive barriers preventing people with disabilities from accessing equal rights and opportunities, including the uptake of available assistive technology (AT).
- Closing excerpt
- However, whereas participants without disabilities saw assistive technology purely as an enabler to overcome stigma, participants with disabilities also noted that, in some cases, use of assistive technologies would attract stigma from others.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (201 words)
Disability stigma in many low- and middle-income countries represents one of the most pervasive barriers preventing people with disabilities from accessing equal rights and opportunities, including the uptake of available assistive technology (AT). Previous studies have rarely examined how disability stigma may be shaped through factors endemic to social interactions, including how the use of assistive technology itself may precipitate or alleviate disability stigma. Through two strands of work, we address this gap. Via a series of focus groups with Kenyans without disabilities (Study 1) and secondary data analysis of consultations with Kenyans with disabilities and their allies (Study 2), we identify shared and divergent understandings of what shapes disability stigma and discrimination. Specifically, Kenyans with and without disabilities were cognizant of how religious/spiritual interpretations of disability, conceptions of impairments as "different" from the norm, and social stereotypes about (dis)ability shaped the experience of stigma and discrimination. Moreover, both groups highlighted assistive technology as an influential factor that served to identify or "mark" someone as having a disability. However, whereas participants without disabilities saw assistive technology purely as an enabler to overcome stigma, participants with disabilities also noted that, in some cases, use of assistive technologies would attract stigma from others.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33920601 · DOI · PMC8073617
Wearable Wheelchair Mobility Performance Measurement in Basketball, Rugby, and Tennis: Lessons for Classification and Training [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Athlete impairment level is an important factor in wheelchair mobility performance (WMP) in sports.
- Closing excerpt
- Wearable technology use seems a prerequisite for further development of wheelchair sports, on the sports level (classification) and on individual level (training and wheelchair configuration).
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (204 words)
Athlete impairment level is an important factor in wheelchair mobility performance (WMP) in sports. Classification systems, aimed to compensate impairment level effects on performance, vary between sports. Improved understanding of resemblances and differences in WMP between sports could aid in optimizing the classification methodology. Furthermore, increased performance insight could be applied in training and wheelchair optimization. The wearable sensor-based wheelchair mobility performance monitor (WMPM) was used to measure WMP of wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis athletes of (inter-)national level during match-play. As hypothesized, wheelchair basketball athletes show the highest average WMP levels and wheelchair rugby the lowest, whereas wheelchair tennis athletes range in between for most outcomes. Based on WMP profiles, wheelchair basketball requires the highest performance intensity, whereas in wheelchair tennis, maneuverability is the key performance factor. In wheelchair rugby, WMP levels show the highest variation comparable to the high variation in athletes' impairment levels. These insights could be used to direct classification and training guidelines, with more emphasis on intensity for wheelchair basketball, focus on maneuverability for wheelchair tennis and impairment-level based training programs for wheelchair rugby. Wearable technology use seems a prerequisite for further development of wheelchair sports, on the sports level (classification) and on individual level (training and wheelchair configuration).
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 32575915 · DOI · PMC7349814
Analysis of the kinematic pattern of free throw by wheelchair basketball athletes: a systematic review [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Athletes are stratified into classes that range from 1.
- Closing excerpt
- Further studies are necessary to explore the associated patterns for each FC.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (184 words)
Athletes are stratified into classes that range from 1.0 to 4.5 points subdivided at intervals of 0.5 points in the Wheelchair Basketball (WCB) modality. The discussion regarding the non-utilization of quantitative data based on functional classification (FC) in WCB has become considerably important for research due to its impact on athletes' careers. The aim of this systematic review was to verify the kinematic patterns of the free throw performed by WCB athletes of distinct FC. After researching four online databases, only 7 out of 68 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. High-class players (classes 3.0 - 4.5) presented a throw pattern, with a greater angle on the shoulder joint, on the angular speed of the wrist, and the height of the ball throw; low-class athletes (classes 1.0 - 2.5) exhibited a pushing pattern, with greater speed and throw angles, greater angular speed at the shoulder and elbow joints. Thus, inter-individual differences allow for the stratification of players into distinct classes and serve as relevant tools for increasing accuracy and performance despite different disabilities. Further studies are necessary to explore the associated patterns for each FC.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39913631 · DOI · PMC11801695
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Wheelchair propulsion biomechanics: implications for wheelchair sports [5]
- Research article Physiology of wheelchair racing in athletes with spinal cord injury [6]
- Research article Pushrim biomechanics and injury prevention in spinal cord injury: recommendations based on CULP-SCI investigations [7]
- Research article Systematic review of power mobility outcomes for infants, children and adolescents with mobility limitations [8]
- Research article Manual wheelchairs: Research and innovation in rehabilitation, sports, daily life and health [9]
- Research article Effectiveness of the Wheelchair Skills Training Program: a systematic review and meta-analysis [10]
References
- Palumbo A, Gramigna V, Calabrese B, Ielpo N. Motor-Imagery EEG-Based BCIs in Wheelchair Movement and Control: A Systematic Literature Review. . 2021. PMID 34577493 · DOI · PMC8473300
- Barbareschi G, Carew MT, Johnson EA, Kopi N, Holloway C. "When They See a Wheelchair, They've Not Even Seen Me"-Factors Shaping the Experience of Disability Stigma and Discrimination in Kenya. . 2021. PMID 33920601 · DOI · PMC8073617
- van der Slikke RMA, Berger MAM, Bregman DJJ, Veeger DHEJ. Wearable Wheelchair Mobility Performance Measurement in Basketball, Rugby, and Tennis: Lessons for Classification and Training. . 2020. PMID 32575915 · DOI · PMC7349814
- de Oliveira Silva HV, de Sá KSG, Gorla JI, Costa E Silva AA, Bertoncello D. Analysis of the kinematic pattern of free throw by wheelchair basketball athletes: a systematic review. . 2025. PMID 39913631 · DOI · PMC11801695
- Vanlandewijck Y, Theisen D, Daly D. Wheelchair propulsion biomechanics: implications for wheelchair sports. Sports Med. 2001. PMID 11347685 · DOI
- Bhambhani Y. Physiology of wheelchair racing in athletes with spinal cord injury. Sports Med. 2002. PMID 11772160 · DOI
- Boninger ML, Koontz AM, Sisto SA, Dyson-Hudson TA, Chang M, Price R, et al.. Pushrim biomechanics and injury prevention in spinal cord injury: recommendations based on CULP-SCI investigations. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2005. PMID 16195959 · DOI
- Livingstone R, Field D. Systematic review of power mobility outcomes for infants, children and adolescents with mobility limitations. Clin Rehabil. 2014. PMID 24764156 · DOI
- van der Woude LH, de Groot S, Janssen TW. Manual wheelchairs: Research and innovation in rehabilitation, sports, daily life and health. Med Eng Phys. 2006. PMID 16504565 · DOI
- Keeler L, Kirby RL, Parker K, McLean KD, Hayden JA. Effectiveness of the Wheelchair Skills Training Program: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2019. PMID 29616832 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.