You can’t just choose a wheelchair randomly. Have you ever heard of wheelchair prescription?

Case: Grandma Li from Nanning, Guangxi, is 80 years old. She has lower limb fractures and is unable to move around easily, so she needs a wheelchair. Her family bought her a common wheelchair on the market.

Unexpectedly, Grandma Li is petite, and although the wheelchair purchased by her family was small in size, it was too high and not suitable for her. During a walking practice, the wheelchair was not suitable, causing Grandma Li to fall accidentally and suffer secondary injuries.

Grandma Li's family took her to Guangxi Jiangbin Hospital for help, and only then did they realize that wheelchairs cannot be chosen casually. In professional rehabilitation institutions, therapists will also formulate personalized "wheelchair prescriptions" for patients based on the functional conditions of different patients.

After fully understanding Grandma Li's situation, the therapist from the Occupational Therapy Department of Guangxi Jiangbin Hospital prescribed a wheelchair suitable for her based on her current physical condition and height and body shape.

Grandma Li's family quickly purchased a new wheelchair according to the therapist's prescription.

The occupational therapist at Guangxi Jiangbin Hospital also helped Grandma Li evaluate the new wheelchair and made appropriate adjustments to the angle of the wheelchair, finally allowing Grandma Li to use a suitable wheelchair.

▲The occupational therapist is measuring Grandma Li. Photo by Tan Chi

▲The occupational therapist is explaining the wheelchair prescription to Grandma Li. Photo by Tan Chi

▲The occupational therapist measures the size of Grandma Li’s newly purchased wheelchair and makes adjustments. Photo by Tan Chi

What is a wheelchair prescription?

As we all know, a wheelchair (W/C) is a seat with wheels, mainly used for people with functional impairments or other people with walking difficulties. Its basic function is to enable the disabled and those with walking difficulties to carry out rehabilitation training with the help of a wheelchair, which can greatly improve the mobility of the disabled and those with walking difficulties, and improve their ability to engage in daily life activities and participate in social activities.

However, all of these are based on one major premise: a suitable wheelchair.

Types of wheelchairs

As the saying goes, "Only the feet know whether the shoes fit." The patient's body has the best say in whether the wheelchair fits. An inappropriate wheelchair may cause skin damage and pressure sores, lower limb edema, spinal deformity, risk of falling, muscle pain and contracture, and other injuries to the patient.

A suitable wheelchair can prevent patients from expending too much energy, improve walking function, reduce dependence on family members, and facilitate comprehensive recovery. Wheelchairs serve independent individuals, and there are differences between individuals, so wheelchairs are very personalized assistive devices. Wheelchair prescriptions are prescriptions made by occupational therapists for patients to develop suitable wheelchairs based on the functional conditions of different patients.

Wheelchairs for people

1. Those whose walking function is impaired or lost due to various reasons.

2. Those who are prohibited from walking do not have locomotor system diseases, but walking is detrimental to their overall health.

3. Patients with central nervous system diseases.

4. Elderly people.

▲Wheelchairs are commonly used as a means of transportation for people with disabilities or difficulty walking. Photo by Chen Chunxu

How to choose the right wheelchair

Common Misunderstandings about Wheelchair Selection

×The bigger the wheelchair size, the better:

A wheelchair that is too large will cause the patient to lack support and lead to incorrect posture.

×The more expensive the wheelchair, the better:

Different patients require different wheelchair functions, so they must be designed according to their needs rather than blindly pursuing too many functions.

Precautions

Before patients are equipped with wheelchairs, they should be evaluated by professional rehabilitation therapists to understand the patient's age, disease diagnosis, functional impairment, rehabilitation needs, family and work environment, economic status and special needs, prescribe a wheelchair, and help the sick, disabled, and disabled choose and adjust the wheelchair.