Quantifying Body Segment Parameters Using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry: A Paralympic Wheelchair Curler Case Report

The body segment parameters of a Paralympic wheelchair curler were experimentally investigated; the athlete has an incomplete cervical spinal cord injury. Two-dimensional body segment parameters (i.e., mass, length, position vector of the center of mass, and principal mass moment of inertia about the center of mass) were quantified using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In addition to measuring the body segment parameters in the interest of developing a subject-specific multibody biomechanical model, the mass of each body segment as experimentally measured via the DXA imaging was compared with that reported by previous research of able-bodied cadavers. In general, there were significant differences in the body segment masses between the different methods. The composition of each body segment (i.e., percentage of skeletal muscle, bone mineral content, and adipose tissue) was additionally investigated.