Professor Brooke Slavens, mechanical engineering, was featured in March on CTSI Discovery Radio, a podcast that airs on 91.7 WMSE-FM in Milwaukee. In episode 142 called, “Shouldering the Load,” Slavens describes a study from her lab aimed at preserving arm health of children who use manual wheelchairs.
CTSI discovery radio is produced by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin, a consortium of scientists from eight institutions in the region including UWM. CTSI works collaboratively to advance health through research. The podcast is available on SoundCloud or from WMSE-FM.
“Having healthy arms is really the key to quality of life for patients who use a wheelchair,” Slavens said. “”Because these millions of people are using manual wheelchairs in a way that’s unnatural to our arms, about 90% of them will develop shoulder pain and pathology. Our specialty is really in assessing and preventing shoulder and wrist injuries.”