[Gary Anderson]

Can anyone out there in forum land - within the UK - tell me whether or not you can get a backless wheelchair.

As part of a training course I attended recently, I have to do a 6 month stint in spinal rehab - and I am not sure if the patients are taking the P*** out of me or not but one of them told me that because he had such great upper body strength and good abdominal control (his lesion is L3 incomplete) he did not really need a back on his chair so was looking for a backless model.

Now, after 20 odd years in the profession, I have NEVER seen such a thing so, is he taking the mick, or has someone actually invented such a thing.

[Apparelyzed]

You can order your wheelchair without a back if you wish, but it's not there just for balance reasons.

Most low para's still keep a very low back on their wheelchair, as it helps in the transfer of power from the arms and upper body to the wheels, kind of like something to push against.

Also, if your wheelchair had any "bucket" on the seat, in that it sloped backwards, with no back at all, you would find your bum working it's way to the back of the chair, and if left uncorrected, you'd slide off the back of your seat!

Here's a picture of a very low back.



Regards

Simon.

[lune14]

I prefer a lower back myself. I've taken to removing all push handles on my new chair and had the back altered as it would not adjust low enough. However I don't like it as low as the guys in the photo Simon posted. I keep mine a couple inches higher than that and it really is quite comfortable.

[Big Valley]

I always go for as low of a back as my balance will allow me. Our chairs are not meant to be Lazy Boys we move around in.



If he wants a chair without a back then a small tool kit will do that for him.