Manual Wheelchair Buying Guide

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Manual Wheelchair Buying Guide

and Overview Information

If you are buying a wheelchair for the first time, you

are probably overwhelmed by the number of

wheelchairs and multitude of options that are

available to you. What seemed like a simple matter of

purchasing a wheelchair has turned into a myriad of

choices and second guessing that can leave even the

most experienced wheelchair buyers frustrated and

confused. Mobility4Less has created this Wheelchair

Buying Guide to help you understand what features

to look for on a wheelchair and how to fit it properly

to the user. It is our sincerest hope that we provide

you with a wheelchair that helps its user regain

freedom of mobility and will last for years to come.


Covered in this Guide:

What Type of Wheelchair Do I

Need?

How do I know what Seat

Size to order?

Do I need to know the Back

Height?

What Armrests should I

choose, Full Length or Desk

Length?

What are Front Riggings?

Are all Handrims the same?

Getting Assistance

What Type of Wheelchair

do I Need?

There are several categories of Manual Wheelchairs available:

The first two questions to address in finding the right manual

wheelchair is, how much time will the user be spending in the

wheelchair and will they be propelling the wheelchair themselves?

If the user will be spending the greater portion of their day in the

wheelchair and propelling it by use of arms or legs, lighter is

always better. We would recommend a Lightweight-High Strength

wheelchair like the Invacare 9000SL or 9000XT models. These

types of chairs usually weigh less than 34 lbs and are designed to

take everyday abuse without breaking. Additionally, while like all

wheelchairs they are bulky when folded, they are much lighter than

standard wheelchairs and therefore easier to load into a car.

Another consideration in choosing the proper wheelchair is how the

user will be propelling it. Many wheelchair users propel the

wheelchair with their hands but there is a large contingent of

wheelchair users that also rely on the use of the legs to help walk the

wheelchair along. If the wheelchair user is going to use his legs to

propel the wheelchair forward, he must have a wheelchair that sits

low enough to the floor as to accommodate his feet resting flat on

the the ground. This Seat-to-Floor measurement is critical but easily

obtained. To measure for the proper Seat-to-Floor height, simply

measure the distance between the floor and the back of the thigh

while the intended user is sitting. Don’t forget that if a cushion is

going to be used, then the extra height of the cushion must be

included in height of the chair.


MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

How much time

will the user be spending in the wheelchair and

will they be propelling the wheelchair themselves?

Standard Lightweight Lightweight-High Strength Ultra Lightweight Tilt-in-Space

For instance, if the user’s lower leg measurement is 19 inches, and

the wheelchair cushion compresses to 2 inches when sat upon,

then the proper Seat-to-Floor height of the wheelchair should be 17

inches to accommodate the extra 2 inches of the cushion.

Generally speaking, a half inch leeway is given if you can’t find

exactly the height you need. Any more than an inch of leeway,

however, will force the wheelchair user to sit unsafely on the edge

of the wheelchair or slouch in the wheelchair in an effort to reach

the ground.

Many wheelchairs offer a variety of Seat-to-Floor heights by

utilizing a variety of wheel /caster and axle positions. In wheelchair

lexicon, a caster is the front wheel and the wheel is the rear wheel.

Physics tells us that a larger wheel is easier to propel than a

smaller one and that a smaller caster will have more difficulty in

ground transitions such as doorway thresholds. So before you

choose a smaller wheel and caster size, make sure the person

using the wheelchair is strong enough to manage the smaller

wheel sizes.


Seat-to-Floor height can be adjusted with wheel/caster

combinations and axle adjustments

How do I know what Seat

Size to Order?

Because people come in various sizes, wheelchairs must

also. Why does it matter that a wheelchair fit a person

appropriately? Just like clothing, a good fit makes for

comfortable use.

A wheelchair seat that is too wide for its user will leave

the user stretching his arms out in an unnatural position to

propel it. This will lead to quick fatigue and even injury if

the user is forced to propel any substantial length of time.

A seat that is too deep for a user will force him to slide

forward or “sacral sit” in the wheelchair so that the back

of the legs don’t hit the edge of the seat. This type of

sitting creates bad posture leading to sore backs and the

possibility of pressure ulcers forming on the buttocks.

So, it is important to consider the proper wheelchair seat

size before buying a wheelchair. To measure for the

appropriate seat size, ask the user to sit upright in a regular

chair or wheelchair. To obtain seat width measurement,

measure across the lap from the outside of one thigh to

the outside of the other. This will give you the appropriate

width of the user, but not the appropriate seat size. Add an

inch or two to the lap measurement so that the wheelchair

doesn’t pinch the user and to also accommodate for any

weight gain that may occur in the future.


CONSIDER THIS:

On average, users sit in their wheelchairs for 10 hours per day

It is important that the seat be deep enough to support the entire

femur or upper leg. This allows the pressure created from sitting to

be supported across the entire seating area instead of solely on the

buttocks. To obtain the proper seat depth measurement, measure

from the back of the calf to the back of the buttocks. Once you

have this measurement, subtract two inches from it to get the

proper seat size. This will allow the back of the legs to move

without hitting the seat edge. For instance, if the wheelchair user’s

measurement is 18 inches, the appropriate seat depth is 16 inches.


Have a question? Call us, we can help

1-800-898-9014

Do I need to know the

Back Height?

Not necessarily. There are many variables in determining

the best back height, but none are critical considerations

unless the user is aggressively propelling the wheelchair in

a manner in which his shoulder blades are being inhibited

by the presence of a back that is too high. For most users,

the back height should be tall enough to lend support

without interfering with wheelchair propulsion. This

measurement can be had by measuring the sitting user

from the seat surface to bottom of the shoulder blades. If

you are uncertain whether a back height is proper, many

models of chairs have adjustable back heights that can be

changed once the user begins using the wheelchair.

What Armrests should I choose,

Full Length or Desk Length?

Since most wheelchairs offer two different styles of armrest,

this is one of the easier decisions to make. Generally speaking,

the following guidelines should be followed in choosing the

armrests. If the user is able to transfer from the wheelchair

independently but is unsteady, then Full Length Armrests offer

the best support for making the transfer. By being positioned out

near the edge of the chair, Full Length armrests give the user

the ability to push off of them to assist in standing.

However, because Full Length Armrests are so far forward, they

will interfere with the wheelchair user’s ability to get close to

desks or tables. That is why many people choose to go with

Desk Length Armrests.


In addition to Desk and Full Length Armrests, some wheelchairs

offer Adjustable Height Armrests too. These are valuable for

taller users whose elbows would not rest comfortably on the

armrests if the user is sitting properly upright in the chair or

when a thick cushion is used creating the same scenario for an

average height person. If the user is going to be in the

wheelchair for great lengths of time, it is important for comfort

and health that their arms rest comfortably on the armrest.

What are Front Riggings?

Front Riggings are wheelchair terminology for footrests.

Because most wheelchairs offer the ability to take the footrests

on and off, the mounting systems are referred to as riggings.

There are two different basic types of footrests. Swing Away

footrests and Elevating Legrests.

Swing Away footrests are the basic and most commonly used

footrests. These are positioned 70 degrees from the seating

surface and are sufficient for most users. Some are available with

plastic or aluminum footplates but beware, while aluminum

footplates add additional strength, they also add additional

weight. Heel loops are usually available on Swing Away

footrests and help keep the user’s feet from sliding off the back

of the footplate.

Elevating Legrests are just as the name suggests. The footrest

can be raised and lowered to accommodate the user’s needs.

They will have a calf pad on them to support the leg when the

legrest is in the elevated position. Elevating Legrests are used

when one or both legs of the user are unable to bend to 70

degrees. The Elevating Legrest can be set at a degree of elevation

that is comfortable for the wheelchair user. Additionally, Elevating

Legrests are used for persons that have extreme edema or

swelling in their lower legs. The common practice of elevating the

legs helps the fluids that are trapped in the lower leg circulate

better.


MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

Can the user

transfer from the wheelchair independently?

Are all Handrims the Same?

Definitely not. Many wheelchairs manufacturers offer composite or

aluminum handrims. While composite handrims may be a tiny bit

lighter, they tend to get nicked up over time creating a rough and

sometimes jagged surface. Aluminum, however, is extremely

durable and comfortable to grip. Given a choice, we would always

recommend choosing aluminum handrims over composite.

Some wheelchairs offer plastic coated handrims that may or may

not have projections coming off of them. The plastic coated

handrims are slightly thicker and much easier to grip than

aluminum or composite. This type of handrim works especially

well for someone with severe arthritis in their hands or a lack of

grip strength. If the user’s hand is so damaged as to be unable to

grip at all, then plastic coated handrims with projections protruding

from the rim is a viable alternative to giving up the use of hand

propulsion entirely.

This wheelchair guide is meant to be just what the name implies, a

guide. If you should have further questions regarding your or a

loved one’s wheelchair, we encourage you to seek assistance from

a qualified therapist or wheelchair seating specialist. Make sure the

person with whom you speak is ATP certified by RESNA.

For questions regarding the purchase of a wheelchair, please

contact Mobility4Less at 1-800-898-9014 or online at

www.mobility4less.com.


Weight, user’s ability to propel, comfort and durability are

important factors when considering handrims.

Still have a question? Call us, we can help

1-800-898-9014

http://www.mobility4less.com

http://www.mobility4less.com

Manual Wheelchair Buying Guide

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Manual Wheelchair Buying Guide