This article is for wheelchair users and prescribers of wheelchairs who want to understand more about why a head support may be required and how to justify the need.
What is the purpose of a head support and what are the benefits?
The head support on a wheelchair serves a variety of functions.
To provide posterior support to the back of the head during transit to prevent whiplash when travelling in a vehicle.
This clinical resource will discuss some of the differences between bariatric and non-bariatric populations and key considerations in providing seating solutions for this wheelchair user cohort. It is important to understand this because failure to match technology to the person’s needs can result in adverse consequences relating to pressure management, postural support, and/or comfort. Body shapes can be so different and seating solutions need to respond accordingly. Obesity is on the rise – “In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight.
This article is for clinicians and prescribers of wheelchairs who may be working with individuals with Dementia. It is intended to raise awareness of the postural changes associated with the condition and provide solutions as to how we can respond with seating solutions for those in the more advanced stages of the condition when independent mobility is affected. Spex recently held a webinar “Immersed and Enveloped Positioning” in collaboration with Jo De Clercq, Physical Therapist, at De Wingerd Care Facility in Belgium (de Clerq & Churchill, 2021).
The selection, orientation and care of a cushion all play a vital role in maintaining good postural support and skin integrity for the user. Fabric covers can become worn, cushions may not be positioned correctly, and unprotected foam can lose its functional properties needed for positioning and pressure relief management.
This blog provides some detail on why we use lateral trunk supports, how they can be configured to provide a clinically appropriate solution, and an overview of the range of lateral trunk supports available from Spex to enable the correction of postural asymmetry.
Bridget Churchill sits down with Rocket, Wheelchair User, and Penny, Physiotherapist, to learn about their personal experience with Spex Seating.
Discussions cover how the Spex Flex Cushion and other Spex Seating components have improved the wheelchair seating experience from both a Clinical perspective as well as a Wheelchair User perspective. View full interview below:
This blog aims to provide some guidance on the potential causes and presentation of tight hip flexors for wheelchair users. Seating solutions will be considered along with how Spex cushions can help to manage outcomes for functional seating. Individuals with tight or hypertonic hip flexors may sit in anterior pelvic tilt (an anteriorly tilted pelvis). This exaggerates the lumbar lordosis of the spinal column (Mansfield & Neumann, 2019).
In Part 1 of this blog series, we explored the definition of comfort, which clearly includes both physical and emotional aspects, and how we need to consider this within wheeled seated mobility.
This blog aims to provide some guidance on the potential causes and presentation of anterior pelvic tilt for wheelchair users. Seating solutions such as belts, back supports, chest straps and harnesses will be considered along with how Spex cushions can help to manage outcomes for functional seating.
In part one of this blog we explored the definition of comfort, which clearly includes both physical and emotional aspects, and how we need to consider this within wheeled seated mobility. So how do we do that?
In part one of this blog, we explored the definition of comfort, which clearly includes both physical and emotional aspects, and how we need to consider this within wheeled seated mobility. We explored how we do that, from a clinical perspective, in part 2. This blog will highlight another aspect of comfort that, perhaps, may link more closely with emotional comfort and that is service offering to support wheelchair users.
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