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A Handy Guide To Picking The Right Wheelchair
A Handy Guide To Picking The Right Wheelchair


 
In the U.S., there are around 3.6 million people above the age of 15 who need a wheelchair to maintain an active lifestyle. Whether they suffered from lower back injuries, leg problems, or were simply born without the use of their legs, wheelchairs have provided them with some level of mobility. With so many people struggling with limited mobility, a number of wheelchair designs have emerged to suit their needs and desires.


  • Manual: Manual wheelchairs are ideal for those with decent upper body strength as the arms are the main form of propulsion. Wheelchairs that are rigid do not fold and are usually more efficient: they can transfer more of the rider's energy into the forward motion than a folding unit. Unfortunately, they make accessibility more difficult as they can't be brought on planes or tucked away for portability.


    In the past, your standard manual wheelchair was a chrome-plated behemoth that weighed around 50 lbs. Thankfully, we've advanced from some primitive times, providing manual chairs in every color imaginable at less than half the weight. As a result, they are easier to maneuver and be pushed than the clunkers of past generations. Don't assume that manual chairs can't still be high performance wheelchairs ; lack of motorization does not equal lack of performance.

  • Power: Someone who can't, or struggles to, push may need a chair or scooter that's powered by an electric motor and batteries, and controlled through a joystick. Before we were comfortably using technology, the power chair market was extremely limited and expensive. Fortunately, we are now living in a technological era: innovation has produced more choices with less weight and more power. In fact, there are a few high-performance wheelchairs in existence that utilize mid-wheel and front-wheel drive, making them remarkably nimble and easier to manage in tight spaces.



Although wheelchair style is an important way for people to express themselves, there is so much more to it than that. Your personal needs are what determines which kind of chair you purchase: do you travel a lot and need a wheelchair that can fold? Do you need one that is equipped to handle those who are fully paralyzed? Or are you looking for some adventure and want a chair that is off-road ready and capable of enduring a little bit of battery? The answer comes down to you.



Product Code: -984-POST-10-17-2018
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Product Summary
 
In the U.S., there are around 3.6 million people above the age of 15 who need a wheelchair to maintain an active lifestyle. Whether they suffered from lower back injuries, leg problems, or were simply born without the use of their legs, wheelchairs have provided them with some level of mobility. With so many people struggling with limited mobility, a number of wheelchair designs have emerged to suit their needs and desires.

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