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Wheelchair users — especially those with ultralightweight
chairs — can swiftly get obsessed about wheelchair
weight. On social media and in chat rooms, debates
rage regarding the importance of a few pounds, or even
a few ounces, to wheelchair propulsion efficiency.
In reality, other factors such as an optimal fit and weight
distribution — how weight is positioned across the wheelchair
— are critical to how
efficiently an ultralightweight
wheelchair can be
propelled, and therefore
how well it works for its user.
For consumers who use
complex rehab power
wheelchairs, weight
distribution is critical for
other reasons, including
overall stability of the chair,
especially when powered
seating options such as tilt,
recline and seat elevation,
are deployed.
Check out these
resources that discuss
weight distribution for
power and manual applications.
RESNA Position on the Application of Ultralight
Manual Wheelchairs
Summary: The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive
Technology Society of North America explains why fully
customizable manual wheelchairs “are the only acceptable
option for individuals who rely on manual wheelchairs
for independent manual mobility.”
Quotable: “The person cannot conform to the
wheelchair, but the wheelchair must conform to the
individual.”
Read It: https://tinyurl.com/resnaultralightpositionpaper
Material Advances
Summary: Carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, and ultralightweight
wheelchairs: How much does the material
impact the wheelchair’s success?
Quotable: “Weight is overemphasized in our market… The
reality is all ultralightweight rigid frames on the market today
are very light, and therefore the relative benefits of weights
of different materials is very little. Fit and efficiency make the
biggest impact to the client’s function and health.”
Read It: https://tinyurl.com/MaterialAdvancesMM
Drive-Wheel Configuration: Do We Know What
We Know?
Summary: In this free view-on-demand Webinar, Julie
Piriano, PT, ATP/SMS, shares Quantum Rehab’s findings to
help providers and clinicians
optimally match a wheelchair
user’s height, weight,
body shape, activities and
everyday environments with
the best power wheelchair
drive-wheel configurations.
Aha! Moment: Do you really
know which configuration
— front-, mid-, or rear-wheel
drive — fits “best” into small,
hard-to-access spaces or
around tight corners?
View It: https://tinyurl.com/drivewheelwebinar
Wheelchair
Center of Gravity
Summary: Why distributing the chair’s and the consumer’s
weight in different locations impacts how easily and
efficiently an ultralightweight wheelchair is propelled.
Quotable: “When the center of gravity is changed, the
combined wheelchair and user weight moves forward
or backward on the wheelchair frame in relation to the
wheels and casters.”
Read It: https://mobilitybasics.ca/articles/wheelchair-center-of-gravity
The Complexity of E1161
Summary: The varied abilities of manual adult tilt-in-space
wheelchairs can benefit wheelchair users with a
wide range of diagnoses.
Quotable: “The ability to achieve a variety of seat angles
can contribute to a safe, more stable posture, reducing
the risk of aspiration. It also allows for access to tables
and other appliances, and positions for improved visual
access to the environment for socialization. All of this
can be provided while still providing beneficial changes
related to tissue loading.”
Read It: https://tinyurl.com/complexitye1161
