If you need specialized seating, or are not able to take the needed
measurements, we strongly suggest buying your wheelchair from a dealer in your
area, or working with a seating clinic. While you may pay more, you will be much
happier in the long run.
The wrong wheelchair be totally useless or even dangerous to the users health,
but there can also be up to a 25% restocking fee if you order the wrong
wheelchair and have to return it. The good news is that picking a wheelchair
that best fits your needs is not really that difficult. The main things you need
to know is the size needed, wheelchair style, and what type footrest and armrest
are needed.WHEELCHAIR STYLE
This is one of the most important choices because if you pick the wrong one
it will be of little to no use for you or your loved one.
STANDARD WHEELCHAIR
If the user weighs under 300 lbs.
If the user can self propel easily or has someone that pushes them.
Does not have any trouble lifting up to 45 lbs to transport the wheelchair.
If money is a factor. ( better some mobility than none )
LIGHTWEIGHT WHEELCHAIR
If the user weighs under 300 lbs.
If the user can self propel with some difficulty or has someone that pushes
them.
Can lift up to 34 lbs to transport the wheelchair.
The most popular type manual wheelchair. Can do everything the standard
wheelchair does but weighs about 10 lbs less.
HEAVY DUTY, EXTRA WIDE, or BARIATRIC WHEELCHAIR
For persons weighing from 300 to 1000 lbs.
Some models are very heavy.
RECLINING WHEELCHAIR
We only recommend reclining wheelchairs for people that spend long hours in
one or who need to be in a prone position at times.
Heavy and hard to transport.
TRANSPORT WHEELCHAIR
For occasional use. lightweight and easy to transport. Many models have a
folding back and fit in a car trunk very easily.
Can not be self propelled by hand, you must either have someone to push or use
your feet to scoot along.
SEAT SIZE
This is probably the most important information needed. You will need to know
the seat width, depth, and height.
SEAT WIDTH
We recommend having the wheelchair user sit on a measuring tape to get an
accurate measurement. If you are getting a wheelchair for a parent, this is the
one time in your life you can tell your mom or dad to "sit on it" and get away
with it.
We suggest that you allow one to two inches on each side for winter coats, heavy
clothing, etc.
SEAT DEPTH
With the person sitting upright in a chair, measure from the back of the seat to
about two inches behind the knees. You want the seat long enough to provide
proper leg support without rubbing against the back of the lower legs.
SEAT HEIGHT
For a person 5'4" and above, the standard 19" to 21" seat height works well
unless they are using a wheelchair seat cushion. ( highly recommended if they
spend much time in the wheelchair )
For a person 5'4" and under, the hemi seat height of 17" to 18" seat height
works best.
For a person 4'11" and under, the super hemi seat height of 14" to 16" is what
is needed.
FOOTREST or FRONT RIGGING
Wheelchair footrest or legrest are one area where you want to pick the least
you can. This is because the more the footrest stick out, the harder it is to
maneuver the wheelchair. Some footrest and legrest can also be pretty fragile
and can break if you run into a wall or something. Below are the different types
of footrest in the preferred order.
FOOTREST
If they do not need their legs elevated because of swelling or other
problems, but do need to swing the footrest out of the way to get into and out
of the wheelchair, then choose Swing-Away Footrest. ( available on almost all
manual wheelchairs ) Footrest do not have calf pads to help support the leg.
ELEVATING LEGREST
If they do need their legs elevated because of swelling or other problems,
than Elevating Legrest or Articulating Legrest are your choices. ( available on
almost all manual wheelchairs )
The only difference between Elevating Legrest and Articulating Legrest, are that
on the Articulating Legrest the footplate extends out a few inches as the leg is
elevated. Not a big plus but helpful for some people. Both styles have calf pads
to help support the leg.
ARMREST
DESK LENGTH ARMS, for getting close to tables, etc. Available in detachable
style only.
FULL LENGTH ARMS, if the extra length is needed for pushing themselves up from
the chair, or if extra arm support is needed. Full length arms are available in
fixed or detachable styles.
Note: Fixed full length arms take about 2 inches off the available seat width.
If you have fixed arms and an 18 inch wide seat, you will have 16 inches between
the arms. This can be a problem for some people. The only exception I know of to
this is the Invacare Tracer EX2 which has offset arms.
If the person using the chair is taller or shorter than normal, you might want
to thing about height adjustable arms. Height adjustable arms are available in
either full or desk length.
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