hiya

I don't mean to be sexist or anything when asking this, but I just see it as a problem more suited to us ladies - I mean, do men have a appearance issue when their legs are open in the chair?

I 'live' in a tilt and recline chair, the Emineo by Handicare, (although it doesn't really matter lmao!) and because my legs are so floppy cos the muscle's gone, all the time I am in it my legs just 'flop' open until the side of the chair stops them, and it's not too ladylike and is most definitely 'indecent exposure' especially when i don't wear knickers because of cathing lol.

What I do at the moment is I've got a piece of elastic that I put underneath my thighs and then cross over at the top and fasten with velcro to pull my legs together. This is fine to an extent, but I don't really want to have to do it if there is another way, and I haven't noticed other women to have the same problem.

Is there a way that you handle it differently?

I seek your advice

I know...I'm a guy and shouldn't be peeking in here. But I thought I might as well post my solution. I use a belt to hold my legs together. It allows me to place things in my lap without them falling through, it seems to take pressure off of my back, and it holds my legs together. Maybe as a lady you could find some fancy belts to use?

Here's a pic showing me where the belt is fairly visible.

Hi,
My legs used to be like that as well. I finally realized that my foot plate needed to be a little lower.
I haven't had any problem since with my floppy legs...

That' looks like a really comfy chair, purple_faeries!

I know you can get a 'bolster' that fits to the front of your chair and keeps your legs in place just below the knee - like very comfy stocks! So maybe that would be a possible solution for you?

this is probably the answer. if your foot plate is high your knees will fall to the side.. if your lower it, besides resolving your problem, you will also have less pressure in your bottom because now you are touching with the back of your thighs in the seat and increasing the area you seat on.

Or you could super-glue velcro to the insides of your knees.

ROFLUMBH....

I have the exact same problem and it makes it a real hassle for me to wear skirts. I wear a velcro strap underneath if I'm wearing a skirt, but it's just not very comfortable to strap your legs together. I always wondered how other female wheelers kept their legs from falling all over the place. Looking at my footplate, I'm not sure it can go lower. I am pretty tall for a girl (6'1 ft) and the length of my legs reflects this. Honestly, I just don't think wheelchairs were built for tall people even though my chair was measured for me (and it looks enormous compared to other manual chairs I think).

QUOTE (Kwag_Myers @ Jul 21 2008, 08:18 PM)

Or you could super-glue velcro to the insides of your knees.

That is just soooooo funny it made me laugh which is a hard accomplishment at the moment

You know, I might just do that!!!!!

As regards the comments about the footplates, unfortunately I am very short (I'm only 4"9) and my feet barely reach them as it is, the ball of my foot just reaches them and it makes me look like i'm on tiptoes!!

Let's keep thinking

Thank you

Hannah

I have the same issues with my legs just hanging out there!! I went to a DME supply company where my friend works and she basically told me my problem is they didn't fit my chair correctly!! The width at where the chair bend to go down to the foot plate is just measured and made incorrectly.. SO in my case its my chair and the only solution was to put wedges in my cushion to help my legs stay together!! I got the wrong wedges though and i didn't help so make sure you fit them and they work before you buy!!

I'm glad somebody asked this question, because I have the same problem, and I find it really annoying. I'll have to check out some of all your solutions.

I wear nothing but skirts and dresses, and the simplest and most elegant way I've found to keep my legs together is wrapping them up with a 1-inch fabric ribbon and tied in a small bow or knot. I've gotten many compliments on it, and it's just so simple and cheap.

And you can make them match your clothes.

Try being 6'8".....legs legs and more legs...

I'd say this is mostly about positioning, footplate height, and the seating. My roho has a small channel where my legs are supposed to stay, though without fiddlling with my seating and my footplate, this alone would not not help much atall. If I put my footplate higher, even with this cushion my legs would splay, but it does help a little. You'll have to mess around a bit with your positioning to get it perfect, and of course different footwear will contribute to the poitioning of your legs.

I'm a dress and skirt girl, and when I get a new chair, I usually have to fiddle for a good hour just getting this bit right!
I also have my seat sling dipped at the back and taught at the front at the back, as I've discussed in another topic somewhere, and it creates that *ergo seat* effect and this keeps my hips from rotating outwards. I have sideguards which also helps. When I shuffle forwards, my hips rotate and my legs splay outwards, and I need them like this to get dressed etc, and then when I sit my bum back into the chiar, my hips fall into the dip in the back and my legs come together.

Hi,

It sounds like you need a different type of cushion or to have "Adductor Wedges" fitted to your cushion.

(That's easy if you have a:
Jay Active http://www.sunrisemedical.com/media/images...69830485661.jpg
Jay Xtreme http://www.sunrisemedical.com/media/images...69830484386.jpg ,
Jay Easy http://www.sunrisemedical.com/media/images...69830545701.jpg,
Jay2 http://www.sunrisemedical.com/media/images...69830484326.jpg
or Jay2 Deep Contour cushion.) - These wedges lie under your thighs and tip your legs inwards more, thus reducing the ability of your thighs to 'roll outwards' (You want 'lateral thigh support' - support on the outside of your thighs as opposed to the inside.) Adductor Wedges: items labelled: 2: (2inch pair of adductor wedges), 12: (1 inch pair of adductor wedges), (9: 2inch pair of Junior Adductor wedges)
Click to view attachment Jay cushion accessories.


You don't want a large 'Abductor' wedge - this sits between your thighs and pushes them apart. If you have a cushion with a raised 'abductor wedge' in-between your legs, in some circumstances it may be possible to carefully cut out/off the raised abductor wedge. (This can be done for Varilite Wave cushions too - you can cut the base section to reduce the thigh separator (abductor wedge) or change the base for one without the abductor wedge - the LPB base (instead of the CPB/CPW bases).) (Look at Varilite: Evolution Wave, Meridian Wave, Proform NX
http://www.varilite.com/pdfs/product_seatguide.pdf
http://www.varilite.com/products_detail.aspx?prodID=3 http://www.varilite.com/imgs/p_products/p_...evowave_med.jpg http://www.varilite.com/pdfs/p_forms_evowave_broch.pdf
http://www.varilite.com/products_detail.aspx?prodID=2 http://www.varilite.com/imgs/p_products/p_...merwave_med.jpg http://www.varilite.com/pdfs/p_forms_merwave_broch.pdf
http://www.varilite.com/pdfs/p_forms_proformnx_broch.pdf http://www.varilite.com/imgs/p_products/p_...oformnx_med.jpg http://www.varilite.com/pdfs/p_forms_prfnxmod_instr.pdf

Click to view attachment Varilite Meridian Wave with the choice of the three bases.


For Vicair cushions which have a middle section, you can remove some of the 'pyramid t-bag' air filled things to reduce the build-up (abductor). http://www.vicair.com/
Click to view attachment Vicair Vector cushion.



With Roho cushions, you can't really alter them much. If you have a single or double compartment cushion or a Roho Quadtro, you may well be over-filling it if your legs are rolling apart - if you reduce the air slightly so that you are sitting 'in' the cushion more, this would help reduce your thighs turning 'out'. The other thing to try with them would be a Roho 'Contour Base' under your cushion. http://www.therohogroup.com/products/acces...ontour_base.jsp (You might want to try a 'Contour Select' cushion but, it may be that this wouldn't' work for you. Because the Contour Select has the IsoFlo valve, you can adjust the relationship of the air in the different segments. http://www.therohogroup.com/products/seat%...ect_cushion.jsp
http://www.therohogroup.com/products/seat%...hions/index.jsp

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment
Roho Contour Base, . / . Roho Contour Select,
Click to view attachment
Roho Quadtro High profile Select with IsoFlo valve.



As Ems said, you may also want to try altering your footplate position too to see if that helps. I currently have to have my feet on a strap above my footplate as my current (rubbish) chair was built wrong and I cannot raise the footplate any further. As a result, I don't have the problem of legs rolling apart as mine roll inwards a bit. I currently sit on a Roho Quadtro High Profile Select with IsoFlo valve. I used to have a gel-foam cushion which was rubbish and only supposed to be temporary. My legs used to roll apart with the gel-foam thing but not with the Roho. It all depends on what suits your shape and frame. (Meaning your physical frame, not the frame of the chair, although the cushion has to fit the frame of your wheelchair too!) Be very careful if you lower your footplate though, it can mean that you are putting more weight on your thighs and putting yourself at risk of increased pressure and therefore increased risk of pressure sores if your footplate is too low. (Also the same if it is too high - you increase the pressure on the Ischial tuberosities (sitting bones) and increase the risk of pressure sores there.)

Hope you find a solution that makes life easier and hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Cat x

Have you tried crossing your legs? I do this a lot even if i'm not wearing a skirt. I find it to be more comfortable.

My guess is maybe some people would have pressure issues with this? I switch back and forth though with which leg is on top if i start to get uncomfortable. I have good feeling/circulation though so maybe thats why i get away with it...either way good luck!

I know I'm a guy, but I have a problem with my legs as well. I bought a cheap backpack strap from an outdoor sports store and two slip on pads from bodypoint.com. This has been the best solution for me. I use this during winter when I put a blanket over my legs. Makes it easier to keep the blanket in place.

again not a gal but a guy I use a strap I made up with velcro easy to put on and adjust

Foot plate height is key to legs staying together. When I wear a dress that is shorter, I sit myself slightly angled to the side so that my legs kind of flop over to that side, if that makes sense. Or I cross my legs. Whether sitting sideways or have my legs crossed, I make sure to shift my weight frequently or cross the other leg over to avoid any skin/pressure issues. The idea of tying a ribbon around my legs is cool--very different!

Wow, here is a twist to this topic. How do you get your legs to fall apart? I can't get my legs apart, and that is not good when I need to cath.
I do agree with the posts here about the foot plate, and the side wedges. Hope you find something that helps.

I've been wearing pants since being a para. Thanks for all your suggestions. I will try to dress nicer with skirts and try some of your ideas.

There are a few ways to keep your legs apart for cathing etc if they are tightly together cos of spacisity or something, one is to have an 'abductor' put on your wheelchair or get a cushion that has one built in, you see these mainly in kids (or adults when they're grown up lol) that have spastic CP, and will keep your legs permanently apart. There are also devices that you can use specifically whilst you are cathing or in the shower etc that will temporarily open your legs for you so you don't have to do it yourself taking up an arm or two lol, the ones I have seen are from Manfred Sauer and you can get inflatable ones and ones with mirrors attached etc, Leg Dividers and look very good. Manfred Sauer is also a very good company, started by a quad (i think) and has many paralyzed people on their staff.

I hope this is of help

Hannah

I've just received my new powerchair and am sitting on a Roho Quadtro High Profile, but am waiting delivery of a new cushion. Coming is a custom fit cushion from RIDE DESIGN, which they used a pressure guaging medium. It creates sort of a hammock effect, placing more pressure on the thighs, and virtually none on the Ischeal and Sacral areas. On mine, they're also bringing up and in the sides at the thigh. We'll finalize adjusting the chair to me when the cushion arrives. Let you all know how it feels and if I would recommend it, as I've been using ROHO for 5 years now. ...Mark

Hey I just tried this the other day and it works pretty good. I went to the hair section at Wal-Mart where they sell headbands and such. I bought those fabric headbands that girls are wearing in their hair and slipped up around my legs just above my knees. I think I got about 6 of them for around $3. They are stretchy so they go up and down pretty easy and they are soft fabric so they don't irritate your skin like velcro or a rough strap can. Also, they are thinner material so they are not clumpy under your clothes and know one knows you are using anything to keep your legs together. For now, this is working great for me!