9 replies to this topic

[Lucydog]

I have been wondering for a while, the logic of having a low back on most of our chairs? I mean I know we are 'active' users but our chairs seem to offer little in the way of support which Id have thought we all need. Would you spend all day sitting in an office chair with a back only a few inches high?

Ive decided i cant take it anymore, my back is killing me and so Ive asked wheelchair services to raise the back a few inches for me. I really need more support and Im surprised most other people dont either.

Any thoughts anyone?

[greybeard]

Lucydog, on May 2 2009, 10:37 PM, said:

I have been wondering for a while, the logic of having a low back on most of our chairs? I mean I know we are 'active' users but our chairs seem to offer little in the way of support which Id have thought we all need. Would you spend all day sitting in an office chair with a back only a few inches high?

Ive decided i cant take it anymore, my back is killing me and so Ive asked wheelchair services to raise the back a few inches for me. I really need more support and Im surprised most other people dont either.

Any thoughts anyone?

Fortunately, I don't have to be in a chair all day long, but I would hate not having a back rest high enough for me to relax against. It has always puzzled me how folks with little or no motor function from the chest down, are able to even stay in a low back chair, let alone be comfortable in one.

[Beautiful]

Honestly, for me, its more for appearance. At first I had a taller back, but I think I depended on that too much. With a lower back, I use my stomach muscles more. But more so I like the way it looks. I like showing off my shoulder blades (I've always loved them, haha), and when I did pageants, I liked people being able to see the back of the dress. Plus when I wear shirts with writing on the back, people can read it. I have a low injury level, L3-L4, so it may be easier for me because I have more control. But I think if youre uncomfortable with a lower back, definitely raise it up a few inches. No reason to be sore or in pain! Right now I'm recovering from back surgery, and with the low back it is a little uncomfortable because the top of the back is digging into my staples/incision. But I'm a masochist and I don't want to raise my back. Haha. Just my little input.

[longhaul]

If you support your back now you will have less of a chance of developing scoliosis later on. I wish some one would figure out a back that supports and is out of the way all the high backs like Jay's are elbow killers and when I needed to hook my elbow for support there was no place to. High backs can make getting dressed difficult too.

[Slowlegs]

I only ever had a medium and really high back. The high back was good for supporting me when I got tired but not so great when leaning over to push the button when I got into lifts or bending backward trying to close doors. I still developed a minor scoliosis too. I suppose that a chair is your legs and most people who walk don't have backrests. If I were still in a chair I would prefer a lower back as weight transfer for wheelies was easier when I was in the lower back chair. It's been a while though.

[wheelywendy]

i guess my back is sort of midway, (its about halfway between my bottom and my shoulders), i tend to have my backrest very slightly tilted forward, as i find this supports me best, i hate high backrests as they seem not to offer any support to my lower back and give the tendency to slump in them more, i find midway gives me support just in the right place increasing stability, the only disadvantage i find in the height of my backrest is that i ocasionally bash my elbows on the top of it, but then i used to do that when it was lower too. i guess, the height of backrest has to be what suits you as it all depends on your height, your level of injury and your posture, everyones different.

[cubanito_016]

it all depends of your injury the higher your injury is the more taller you need your back rest I am a t5 so my back rest is 14inches I tried a twelfe inch I almost fell backward cause of my truck balance my abdominal are paralyzed

[blckchns]

cubanito_016, on May 3 2009, 02:50 PM, said:

it all depends of your injury the higher your injury is the more taller you need your back rest I am a t5 so my back rest is 14inches I tried a twelfe inch I almost fell backward cause of my truck balance my abdominal are paralyzed

+1, I would love to rock a lower back rest but I can pretty much guarantee that I would fall backwards due to the lack of abdominal control. It's amazing how much difference an inch or two makes.

[Jax]

Lucydog, on May 2 2009, 04:37 PM, said:

I have been wondering for a while, the logic of having a low back on most of our chairs? I mean I know we are 'active' users but our chairs seem to offer little in the way of support which Id have thought we all need. Would you spend all day sitting in an office chair with a back only a few inches high?

Ive decided i cant take it anymore, my back is killing me and so Ive asked wheelchair services to raise the back a few inches for me. I really need more support and Im surprised most other people dont either.

Any thoughts anyone?

I have a rather short back. I have found that, for me, the taller backrests do no good, and actually cause more pain than the shorter one. Mine is set at 12" from seat sling to top of backrest.

My situation is fairly odd though. I have rods that run all the way from T-10 to my pelvis. Not the sacrum; the screws are actually put into each side of the pelvis. That's due to the second break that occurred about 2 months after the original injury.

Getting dressed with the taller back is difficult, as longhaul said. With no flex in my back, I can't get my butt off the chair without using the backrest as a pivot point for some leverage.

Also, I don't stay in the wheelchair any more than is absolutely necessary. I just use it as my "legs" to get me from point A to point B, so to speak. When I'm at the desk, I use an office chair; when I'm watching TV, I sit on the couch; when I'm out with my buddies at a bar, I sit on a barstool or in a chair at one of the tables. I even sit in booths at restaurants sometimes.

I have seen some pretty low backrests used by a few incomplete quads at some of the Turning Point events, and some of them were actually using backrests lower than mine.

It's really all about balancing what the individual user needs for comfort and support.

[WildKat]

Lucydog, on May 2 2009, 04:37 PM, said:

I have been wondering for a while, the logic of having a low back on most of our chairs? I mean I know we are 'active' users but our chairs seem to offer little in the way of support which Id have thought we all need. Would you spend all day sitting in an office chair with a back only a few inches high?

Ive decided i cant take it anymore, my back is killing me and so Ive asked wheelchair services to raise the back a few inches for me. I really need more support and Im surprised most other people dont either.

Any thoughts anyone?

I have a 13 inch high backrest. I ordered it and got it made custom because they only made 10 inch or 16 inch high ones. 13 inches gives me the support I need, without being so high I can't move my shoulders. I'm not sure exactly where it comes to on my back since I can't feel it, but I can still move my shoulders and arms back far enough for a good push and I'm not leaning over backwards at an odd angle because I have no trunk control. Basically I go as short as I can to keep as much freedom to move as possible and keep the weight down.