7 replies to this topic

[Lucydog]

I was in Carlisle today when I bumped into this young guy (18ish) in a chair, and Im guessing that he was a para. Now there is another guy I see around regularly as well. Thing is they are both pushing cool chairs but they seem to sit really low in them so they actually seem to be having a hard time pushing. I always sit high up in my chairs so that I get maximum push with minimum arm movements, you know a bit like cycling? I dont have to bend my elbows that much to push my wheels as fast as possible. I also have my wheels as far forward as i can without toppling backwrds. So is there any reason they would be so low, or is it am indiction they were badly measured up by their local wheelchair services or something else?

anyone know the physics of this....?

thanks
L

[KimAndSophie]

Lucydog, on Aug 13 2007, 02:23 PM, said:

I was in Carlisle today when I bumped into this young guy (18ish) in a chair, and Im guessing that he was a para. Now there is another guy I see around regularly as well. Thing is they are both pushing cool chairs but they seem to sit really low in them so they actually seem to be having a hard time pushing. I always sit high up in my chairs so that I get maximum push with minimum arm movements, you know a bit like cycling? I dont have to bend my elbows that much to push my wheels as fast as possible. I also have my wheels as far forward as i can without toppling backwrds. So is there any reason they would be so low, or is it am indiction they were badly measured up by their local wheelchair services or something else?

anyone know the physics of this....?

thanks
L

I sit so my elbows bend when I touch my wheels. This is so I can reach behind my wheel in order to push myself. If the wheels are too far away it's almost impossible for me to push myself at all. In order for me to get the amount of dump I need so I can stay sitting up withoug fallinf forward, I also need to have the front of my chair a lot higher than the back.

Could any of these be the reasons? Are they tall guys? If they are maybe they need a lower back part of the chair if they like some dump in their seat. Or it could just be their preference.

Edited by KimAndSophie, 13 August 2007 - 06:47 PM.

[nomis]

I've just been trialling a range of chairs so got to try out a number of heights in relation to wheels (and wheel sizes). For me, the standard seating height is best - good on flat, good uphill and down.

I suspect that particularly among the younger set, it's cool to be low like a low-slung sports car. They just haven't realised yet they look daft struggling for balance uphill and trying to reach the keys at the
ATM.

[jakhep]

I Just bought a pair of 26" wheels and i find im sitting a full 2 inches higher in my chair but with no loss of position for pushing , i have my wheels quite far forward too which makes it a lot easier to push, i was worried it would look as though i was perched on the chair but with the 26" wheels it feels very comfortable and its amazing the difference 2 inches makes, it took me a while to get the chair reconfigured to the wheels but it was worth it, a lot more places are more reachable now and the world looks slightly different from up here...lol, wish i had done it years ago.

[mobility pro]

according to seating and position professionals, when you sit in your wheelchair and put your hands down to your side your index finger should touch the center of the axle on your rear wheel. you should have about a 45 deg bend in your elbow when pushing the wheelchair at the top of arm stroke.

[KarenFerguson]

I try to sit as high as I can in my chair. So, I try to buy the thickest cushion I can find (usually 4" and just cheap foam cushions, because I don't have to worry about pressure sores). I wish they made taller cushions for shorter people like myself. Also, I have a 15x15 chair and it's so hard to find 15x15 cushions. So frustrating but that's another issue.

Sitting higher - for me - does help when pushing because I'm not lifting my shoulders as much as if I were sitting lower. I also like to have hardly any bucket on my chair, so that adds a bit of height too. Basically the higher I can get the better for pushing as well as reaching things.

[wheels5894]

I don't know about sitting high or low, but I have a squeeze frame for my Quickie Yi. That means the back of the seat is about 4" lower than the front. The backrest is vertical. This seating arrangement allows my to support the pelvis in its proper position and makes balance easier. I think you would call this sitting low.

[gsp23]

I have 25" wheels (559) and I have the front of my chair set to that I can easily fit under standard sized desks, tables, etc. I then have the back of my chair something like 3 inches lower to help to keep me upright. My cushion is a full 1.5 inches lower in the back also to help with posture. So not sure if this is what is considered sitting low or not.