School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada; Research Centre on Aging, 1036 Belvédère S, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 4C4, Canada.
Research Centre on Aging, 1036 Belvédère S, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 4C4, Canada.
Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2020 Dec;80:105109. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2020.105109. Epub 2020 Jul 24.
Grab bars are a common fall prevention strategy in the bathroom, but biomechanical data are lacking to support clinicians' interventions. This study aims to determine the magnitude and duration of the force applied to four grab bar configurations during complete bathtub transfers on a potentially slippery surface.
A three factorial repeated measures design was used in an experimental environment including a bathtub, padded walls, instrumented fixed grab bars and a safety harness. Seven healthy young adults stepped into the bathtub, sat down at the bottom, stood up and stepped out (three trials), with or without a slippery surface, grabbing onto four grab bar configurations (vertical, angled, horizontal low, horizontal high). Maximum force magnitudes and durations during bathtub transfers were measured by two 6-degrees of freedom load cells.
On average, 23.2 ± 6.4% of body weight was applied on the grab bar during complete bathtub transfers. Maximum resultant forces were not influenced by grab bar configuration, presence of a slippery surface, or direction of bathtub transfer (entrance or exit), except for the vertical configuration without a slippery surface where the maximum resultant force was smaller than for the three other configurations. Transferring on a slippery surface increased the time participants applied force on the grab bars.
Grab bars used during complete bathtub transfers with no loss of balance should be capable of sustaining a minimum of 23.2% of body weight, to which a factor of safety of 1.5 should be added, regardless of the grab bar configuration.
抓杆是浴室中常用的一种防止跌倒的策略，但缺乏生物力学数据来支持临床医生的干预措施。本研究旨在确定在潜在滑溜表面上完成浴缸转移时，四种抓杆配置所施加力的大小和持续时间。
在实验环境中使用三因素重复测量设计，包括浴缸、软垫墙壁、仪器固定抓杆和安全带。七名健康的年轻人步入浴缸，坐在底部，站起来并走出来（三次试验），有或没有滑溜表面，抓住四种抓杆配置（垂直、倾斜、低水平、高水平）。通过两个六自由度负载单元测量浴缸转移过程中最大力的大小和持续时间。
平均而言，在完成浴缸转移过程中，23.2±6.4%的体重施加在抓杆上。最大合力不受抓杆配置、滑溜表面的存在或浴缸转移方向（入口或出口）的影响，但在没有滑溜表面的垂直配置下，最大合力小于其他三种配置。在滑溜表面上转移会增加参与者施加在抓杆上的力的时间。
在没有失去平衡的情况下进行完整的浴缸转移时，抓杆应能够承受至少 23.2%的体重，在此基础上应增加 1.5 的安全系数，而与抓杆配置无关。
