Understanding Seating Sizing Getting the right fit is important in seating and mobility. The fit of the seating system can affect comfort, function, posture, and skin integrity. This month, Clinical Corner will focus on how to understand seating sizing for cushions, back supports and head supports. A few "tricks of the trade" will be shared so that clinicians can better understand how to request the correct size of seating for an individual. 2017-08-29 Keep Reading
Wheelchair Basketball Last summer, Clinical Corner looked at two different sports for individuals who are wheelchair users: handcycling and wheelchair tennis. See Wheelchair Tennis and Handcycling for the full articles. This month, let's continue our look at parasport with a focus on wheelchair basketball. 2017-06-28 Keep Reading
Heat and Moisture Dissipation in Seating With the summer months approaching, it is a good opportunity for us to re-visit wheelchair seating and to consider how seating can affect heat and moisture dissipation for individuals who use wheelchairs. While there are many factors that affect one's risk for skin breakdown, moisture can contribute to the risk of skin breakdown for some individuals. Choice of materials, design and covers will influence the potential for heat and moisture build-up and/or dissipation in wheelchair cushions. The same can be said for back supports as well. 2017-05-30 Keep Reading
Enhancing Rigidity in Folding Wheelchairs The Clinical Corner article, Manual Mobility: The Basics, describes the different categories of manual wheelchairs, known generically as transport, standard, folding, rigid and tilt-in-space. It was noted that the more rigid the wheelchair, the easier it is to propel the chair as rigidity decreases flex in the frame of the chair. The ideal is that all of the energy of propulsion is translated into movement as any frame flex is lost movement. The more rigid the wheelchair, the more efficient the propulsion can be. 2017-04-25 Keep Reading
Taking a Second Look In September of 2015, I wrote an article for Clinical Corner, entitled "Best Practices in Seating and Mobility Assessments". As outlined in that article, the following concepts were found to be necessary for best practices in seating and mobility assessments: experience, hands-on techniques, skills, technology, resources, self-directed learning, follow-up, and consumer relationships.1 The article expanded on each of the concepts. This month, let's take a second look at some of the best practices in seating and mobility assessments, specifically technology and resources. Let's also consider why we should take a second look at products and technology. 2017-03-21 Keep Reading
