Hello everyone.

As a T-11 complete injury, I have a fear of ending up on the ground as getting back to the chair is a chore. I'm athletically built, however, weigh 215lbs which doesn't help matters.

Looking for any tips on the best way to get back "home" as I'd love to spend time on the floor with my nephew & niece.

Help

Maybe a hard cushion that you can roll up on to put yourself closer to the chair seat?

(just thought of that, my usual method ends up hurting for three days)

thanks for bringing up the subject.

I have trouble with the same thing. At home what i do is take the cushion off my couch an get onto the couch from the floor then take the cushion off my chair then get into my chair, then put the cushion back on the couch an go back over to the couch, then put the cushion back in my chair then get into my chair. I know theres alot of steps but it is the only way i can get back into it. If im not at my house im fuc%ed

I use one of those plastic milk crates as an intermediary..

I did some googling and found this thing at sportaid, damn thing is over 700 bucks but i'll bet something like it could be built cheaper:

floor recovery thingie

I have used something like that B4. Im not sure if it is worth that much. I had trouble getting both of my arms back to the handals to pick myself up.

great responses - keep'em comin

I have only done it once and what I did was placed one hand on the bed, and one hand on the seat itself and pulled myself up.. But thinking about it, I should have gone directly to the bed and into my chair

Before I left the hospital after my accident I made my physiotherapists teach me how to get into my chair if the situation ever arose. And...it did! I live alone so I really needed to know this. Anyhow it's so hard to explain! It probably depends on what chair you have. Mine has a footplate that both my knees can fit on and I also have arm rests on my chair. I start out by balancing on my knees in front of my chair (facing it). There is a little technique to this if you want more info. Then I put one hand on the arm rest and one on the seat and lift my body up so my knees are resting on the footplate. Next I put both hands on the armrests and lift my body up further . At the same time I try to shimmy my left arm towards the back of the chair so I can turn my body around just a bit until a bit of my butt is resting on the seat (cushion is removed). Once I'm at this point I just use the armrests to kinda wrestle my body around. It sounds so complicated....but it has worked for me. Wow...a video would do this description a lot more justice!!! lol

I learned that method as well during rehab.

There's another way...it's kinda silly but works. You can flip the wheelchair over onto its back (back rest touches ground), get yourself situated into the chair and do an uprighting move while in the chair. Did you learn that during rehab? I tried it and it works.

I learned the same bit about crawling up and turning around in Rehab as well. I watched.. and just thought to myself "what bullshit is that?" I tried. It was the f*@king hardest thing, but Im sure that had a lot to do with broken bones and lack of strength at the time. Looking back I could probably do it now that I understand.
Everytime Im on the floor its because I got in a hurry and fell. Luckily someone is ALWAYS around to torture and poke fun, then help me.
You should just get a life alert necklace and sit there until someone comes to help!
Haha God I crack me up.
No but seriously, When I saw them do that in Rehab I couldnt believe it was possible. Luckily other Para's came by to visit a few times.. when they did I would always ask them for the advice. STupid therapist dont know a thing, they always cheat and use muscles we dont have, when demonstrating! OK, sorry getting sidetracked here. K so this guy came in once.. he got on the ground., pulled his chair up behind him..locked it. And Literally just grabbed the frame around the foot rest and picked himself up with one good push. After seeing that, I liked the therapist idea of climbing up and spinning a lot better!

The way you are talking about where the chair is on its back then you flip up in only works if your chair has brakes. I do the method where you put your knees on the foot plate most of the time.........or we have a foot stool that is 2/5 the way between the floor and the chair(just shy of 1/2 way). I saw the pic of that multi level stool thing..........looks kinda hard to maneuver on your own. IMO

I usually try and find something about the same height as my chair or higher, wedge myself between them, take my cushion off so I haven’t got as far to lift and hopefully with my first lift make it to my chair. If I don’t make it the first time I have to wait a few minutes until I get some energy back to try again. Once on my chair transfer to an armchair to put my cushion back on.

OMG! just a few more *steps* on that and we have our own para ladder!!! LOL My partner and I were talking the other day about building a *sit* ladder in stead of a step ladder, just where would we put half a staircase!!! I'd love to be able to decorate our own house, we've just paid friends to do it, but it does nark me!

emma.

True floor to chair transfers - without intermediate steps or something higher around to use for purchase

This is the one most PT's seem to favour teaching and most active low level para's seem to do it this way
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5600546997844108265 or a slightly less musclebound demo and closer to the way I was taught is here http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6853011878438253954

This is the forward facing one described above - the guy in the video is a C8
http://www.cureparalysisnow.org/downloads/...ir_Transfer.wmv


I'm T2 (and the wrong side of 40) and could never quite get the last couple of inches required for the first one pushing up from the floor although with the cushion taken off the chair and my legs strapped together it's possible but if there's a chair or couch or bed about that I can put my non chair hand on then I usually get back in this way - if there's nothing to get a bit of a higher lift off of then I use the second one now I've worked out how to do it.

I also know a few lower level paras that just back up to the chair, put both hands behind them on the chair and lift themselves in but I've never been able to even get close doing that. I did do the righting the chair thing with me in it while in rehab but it's not easy for higher levels and I've not tried it since. There's a few folks messing about with this last one (and the others) here http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7447458778705233727

Hope the videos help folks visualise the transfers

Russ

Actually the way I was taught (and the way it's done in the video above) you can't use brakes as you need to rotate the wheel underneath your body with your hand thats not pushing up off the floor

Rehab taught me to scoot backwards to the chair in a sitting position, pull myself onto the footplate, grab the frame of the chair, pull myself up till enough of me was on the seat to keep from sliding off, then use the wheels or whatever i could grab to pull myself to a seated position. Except for the occasional de-pantsing, it (like most of the other manual floor recovery techniques) works great if you stay in practice, most of us don't and could use an easy way.

Yea that face first way is how they tried to get me to do it in rehab also, I've never done it that way again after that day. Now I just grab the chair behind me and lift, pull myself straight up and into it. I'll try to get a video of it as it seems to be the easiest way to me. I've also tried putting one hand on the floor and one on the seat like in that 1st video, takes long arms and a closer to the ground chair then I have, but I do it that way when getting onto the couch or chair or something that sets lower then my chair.

This is all great info - thank you all for the reply's..........my chair sits quite high in the front and my arms are not near long enough to push from the floor. My usual way to get in was sitting on the foot plate and pushing up to the seat. The seat sorta acts as a drag because when you're pulling up, your back/ butt drag up the front of the seat. I may try the tech where you face the chair and pull up. Being 40 and knowing what a P.I.T.A. it is to get in, I doubt I will spend my afternoon practicing

Not that I'm one to preach as I can't do it either but it's not a question of long arms or high seats. The human body is surprisingly normally proportioned in that the vast majority of people have arms and legs that are in proportion to each other (legs to arms) and to their body length. The height of the front of your wheelchair is (should be) proportional to leg (calf) length so the higher the seat height the longer your arms if your wheelchair is set up properly. It's all about balance and pendulums (apparently) :-)

Sorry guy's it's just not an excuse, you'll just have to stick with me in the I just can't do it school. :-)

I know why can't do the sitting on the footplate thing - my butt doesn't fit on my footplate :-(

LOL, well, while true for the most part, there are people with longer arms or shorter arms then what is proportional to their body. I can set flat on the floor and push straight down and lift my ass off the ground about 6 inch's, my dad tried it and can't even get off the ground a inch, same with my wife. So either I have very long arms or they have very short ones.

mjrcpd, the way you explain is exactly how I do it. sit on the foot plate or as close to it as possible if you have a v front in that is to narrow to get your ass in there and then just brute strenght to life your self straight up. If your strong enough to do it that way then I'd stick with it, I personally thought facing the chair, climbing up and then turning was much harder.

I'm with you, Russ. I can't replant myself , either. I do what Kev does, use the couch without the cushion, then onto the couch cushion then into the chair. The only time I found it neccessary outside, I used the car. Got the door open, pulled up to the door sill, then seat, yhen chair.

I'm not positive, but would bet that the vast majority of those who can perform this " miracle " are under 200 pounds, and most far under. If I'm wrong about that , please don't tell me. I'll just remain in my happy oblivion, believing it isn't really my fault.
ed

I don;t think the people in the last one are really in the chairs ..... the girl is standing up just before the camera plays on her about 1 minute in.

Frustrates the hell outta me. Have good upper body strength, but zero abs, so the work-your-way-up-and-spin technique is damn near impossible. Have to take rat poison, so each of the times I've managed to pull it off, I have to nurse bruises everywhere. Obviously can't carry a ladder around when I'm downtown or workin' in the yard, etc. Gonna have to get a sky hook that'll fit in my pack. %$@!

I'm a T4/5 complete para... It took me a while to suss it out but the key was in crossing my legs on the floor so your knees don't hit you chest.

I get my chair perpendicular to my good transfer side (my right). (I.E. I don't try and go over the side (wheel) of the chair but the have the front of the chair next to my right hand side.)

Cross legs (this is key), put your right hand on the front right corner of the cushion and your left on the floor. When you lift lean forward as far as possible to get your bum as high as possible. Do the lift quickly and confidently and aim to land smack bang in the middle of your cushion.

I probably have a 90% first time success. If you feel like your legs arn't right or you're not gonna make it, gently lower yourself down to avoid injury and try again! Getting the legs set up right is absolute key.

good Luck.

How big a boy are ya. This sounds like a way i might want to try. Can anyone make a video or know were a video is. thanks

Which leg do you put on top?

I was taught to have one wheel locked while turning the other one. It sort of makes me go around in circles once or twice in the process of getting up though. Over all ...........I just try avoiding it when I can.

Ditto on the weight-strength ratio question. I used to weigh about 165. But with the damn level of injury, I've put on 20 lbs. No ab muscles = zero fat burn there. Gettin' my fat ass up the way you describe is unlikely, leg crossed or no. I'm gonna give it a try anyway.

I found someone demonstrating the way I was talking about.......with locking one wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgZpH4OCpus
I hope this explains what I meant a little better.

THANK YOU!!!!

I have seen that video, and worked at uprighting myself that way. I even worked on it with my pt, and we just couldn;t quite get it. I totally missed though the part about having ONE brake on! I gave it up for the time being, but will have to try again.

I fall all the time. Ive tried many methods to upright myself. I think backing up to chair, brakes on, sit on foot plate and pick urself str8 up (like a reverse dip) threw ur head forward and ur ass goes back naturally. Getting in from the front, it also seems to take more strength and takes longer. i always get carpet burns and scratches on my knees. Use anything around u to sit on ur pull urself up with. Be a little creative. Getting upright in chair from floor is pretty easy also. Sit in ur chair as u would if u were up, lock brakes. Use left hand on right wheel to pull up as u use right hand to push off floor. Just kinda creep up to position. All of them take a little practice so just see what works best for u.

I sit cross legged facing away from my chair. I turn the castors forwards then put both my hands behind me moving up the chair and push down hard! Whilst pushing down, my bum comes up and up onto the front of the chair, then its a shuffle back ( and one little push up again to right my roho which always wants double up!), and im up. Pick up my legs and Go!!!

I was on a trainer course last weekend with back-up to teach wheelchair skills and I saw loads of ppl with their own ways of doing it. The scoop, where you fling yourself back to upright ( or in the same position someone else pulls you up), is difficult and the first few times I tried it i was going round in circles, but I've got no brakes on my chair, so i put a twig under one wheel to act as a block and that seemed to work - third time lucky. One thing I think that helps is that I can pull my own body weight, and for that I use a chin up bar, and a gymnasium at home. I pull my self up slowly 15 times every time I pass , as long as I'm not rushing for the phone! Also I'm in and out of my chair all day, right now, well 5 mins ago!!, I was gardening sat on the edge of one the raised beds digging manure in. Then into the greenhouse onto the floor to dig in some compost. All my pots are scattered all over the floor in the greenhouse, i just shuffle round and round them till all the seeds are sown put them in their places in the green house and the drippers are laid out properly and in all the pots, and get back into my chair. I sit on a jay protector which provides a nice flat surface ( even better with a piece of plastic from an old side guard in the bottom of it! cos the fabric doesn't last that long shuffling on the floor! I am on the floor loads, so this skill is something I guess I've just made myself do.

The sitting at 90 degrees to your chair and edging yourself forward till your bum is on your ankles and then you lean your head forward and push with your hands on the floor, I just dont seem to have long enough arms to *spring* my bum up enough to get onto the front of the cushion. Girls arms are shorter than mans arms, and of course everyone is so different you need to try every way a few times, cos you probably wont get it the first couple of times, but then with practice you might find a way you can just *pop* back in! obviously taking the cushion out and sitting on it gives me an extra 6 inches I don't have to climb! If I'm drunk, I'm weaker and It might take me a couple of completely unfeminine attempts! I cross my legs so they dont flop outwards btw, slightly more dignified!
I'm t12 incomplete but by incomplete all I have is a couple of spasms in my right foot. well not even that really. If I flick my toes, they don't like it and they *move* about 5mm! PARTY TRICK! lOOK I CAN MOVE!!! It only works a couple of times and then their too tired to be bothered. But thats all I have!
Anyway hope it helps a bit.

...erm I weigh 48kg 'bout 105 pounds.

Thanks, Ems, for tossing in your weight. I think it will help everyone if those giving advice were to do likewise.

At 230 pounds, I have no trouble lifting myself while transferring and weight shifting, but lifting myself into my chair from the floor eludes me. "Popping" isn't even worth discussing.

I use the " stairstep" method, using pillows, boxes, or whatever, to get up to height, then over to the chair.

It's the best I can do, but I do hope for miracles.
ed

hehehe oh yeah, girls don't pop!!!!! LOL
I think that is something that really annoys me now, most ppl just laugh and those that know me, I think politely ignore it!

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Good demonstration! I just use my arm strength to lift myself up. Something I've learned while played wheelchair basketball. You will need to try a couple of times to train yourself. Everybody is different but overall principle is the same.

The way I do it is I sit sideways (facing left) to my chair with my knees up and legs sort of resting against chair so they don't fall over. I put my left hand on the frame, right hand on the floor, and with a strong push up using my right hand (head down, ass up) launch myself into my chair. I do not have brakes on my chair so as I am pulling up, I quickly yank my chair closer to me and as much under my ass as I can with my left hand and adjust myself from there once I'm on the seat. It's all about timing and strength. I should add that I am only about 105lbs-ish. I find floor-to-chair significantly easier without brakes. Sometimes I sit on the footplate first and do the same thing I described.