Yes You Can - Fourth Edition - 70

Get the right size wheelchair for your body. A poorly ﬁtting wheelchair can lead to deformities and contribute to back, shoulder, neck, and arm pain. [See section 2.c, Limb Preservation and Posture.] Your wheelchair should provide comfort, mobility, and skin protection, and should ensure good posture. Work with your therapist to determine the best wheelchair for you. Whenever possible, try out the chair before you order it. Be sure the one you’re trying is set up just like the one you’ll order, so your test ride will be accurate. There are three categories of wheelchairs: manual, power-assist, and power. Power-Assist Wheelchair Power-assist wheelchairs combine the frame of a manual chair with powered rear wheels. The wheels have a built-in motor that makes pushing the wheelchair easier. In most cases, these wheels can be put on your manual wheelchair. Because of their weight, they are not as easy to put on, take oﬀ, and stow as regular manual wheelchair wheels. Power-assist wheels can help you push farther and longer than you would otherwise be able to. Power Wheelchair A power wheelchair is motorized. People who are unable to push a manual wheelchair in their environment should receive power wheelchairs for mobility. Power wheelchairs have three main parts: the base, the seating system, and the drive control. Bases come in rear-wheel drive, frontwheel drive, or mid-wheel drive. You and your therapist should determine the right base for you to match your home, recreational environments, and transportation needs. Some bases are meant for level indoor surfaces, while others are designed to drive outside on rough terrain. You and your therapist will also choose the seating system—it will depend on your postural and skin protection needs. Some seating systems are similar to those in manual wheelchairs, while others may tilt, recline, and elevate. Finally, power wheelchairs can be driven with a joystick, head control, breath control, or by someone else. You and your therapist should select your drive control based on your level of function and safety. Your wheelchair is your mobility. If you don’t take care of it, you might be stranded somewhere if it breaks down. A few things to remember: Keep your wheelchair clean. Keep the bearings clean. Make sure the wheel locks are adjusted correctly. Manual Wheelchair Manual wheelchairs can serve many functions. They can be your main way of getting around, or they can act as a backup to another chair or to walking. They can be designed especially for sports. There are many diﬀerent kinds of wheelchairs, each with its own setup and options to provide you with the best ﬁt. Wheelchairs can have rigid or folding frames. You should be involved in choosing your manual wheelchair, but your therapist will help you decide what you need and what will work best for you. They can anticipate what you’ll need according to your level of injury and what you’ll be able to do. Some of the things to consider in selecting a manual wheelchair are your home environment, lifestyle, transportation, postural needs, and function. Anyone with SCI who uses a manual wheelchair full time should have a high-strength, fully customizable wheelchair made of the lightest possible material. A light chair requires less eﬀort to propel. A customizable chair can be adjusted for the correct ﬁt, so there will be less wear and tear on your body, and your seated posture will be better. Also, a high-strength chair is made of components that are not likely to break. Over the long run, this kind of chair will last much longer and be cheaper to operate. [ 70 ] | Yes, You Can!

Yes You Can - Fourth Edition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Yes You Can - Fourth Edition