Simple and easy to learn nursing knowledge, do you know the correct way to use a wheelchair?
Wheelchairs are frequently used in daily care. When using a wheelchair, incorrect sitting posture can easily cause slipping, pressure ulcers, and even compression of the spine, chest cavity, and organs, leading to problems such as poor breathing and loss of appetite due to improper center of gravity and uneven force distribution. Today, we will introduce the correct sitting posture for wheelchairs. Firstly, let's test how much you know about the correct posture when riding a wheelchair through two small Q&A.
What position should the pedals be in when sitting in a stationary wheelchair?
Retract the pedals and let your feet land completely on the ground
When sitting in a stationary wheelchair
The pedals should be retracted to allow both feet to fully land on the ground
Use your feet to support a portion of your weight
In this way, you can sit steadily
Convenient for the implementation of nursing actions such as standing and moving
On the contrary, when the wheelchair is in a pushed state
Place both feet on the pedals
Reduce friction between feet and the ground to avoid injury
Simultaneously confirm the position of the pedal
If the pedal position is too high, it will cause the leg to be misaligned
Legs detached from the chair seat, this sitting posture is very unstable
Need to adjust pedal position
Make full contact between the thighs and the chair seat to average leg pressure
And parallel to the ground

What are the errors in the sitting posture shown in the picture when using a wheelchair?
Body tilted, in a state of almost slipping off
Tilt your body and keep your hips away from the back of the chair
The entire body is supported by the coccyx
This sitting posture is very unstable
And it can easily cause pain in the buttocks
The contact surface with the chair seat is small, the force is concentrated, and it is easy to cause bedsores
Your feet are not fully on the pedals
Easy to rub against the ground or get caught up in the wheels, causing injury
My arm is not on the armrest
Place your arms on the armrest and stabilize your upper body,
Increase the contact surface with the wheelchair and average the force applied
The elderly person in the picture is facing upwards due to improper sitting posture
Unable to observe the surrounding situation, which can easily cause anxiety
The posture when riding a wheelchair should
1. The head is upright, able to rotate freely, and the facial expression is soft
2. Keep the trunk straight, without any left or right tilting, and keep the head, neck, and trunk in a straight line
3. Keep the height of the shoulders and knees consistent on both sides
4. Keep your back tightly against the backrest of the chair
5. Slightly bend both elbows and place them on the armrest
6. Keep your thighs tightly against the seat of the chair
7. Keep your hips as close to the back of the chair as possible
8. Keep both feet fully on the pedals
When an elderly person is unable to sit upright due to their physical condition
Tools can be used to adjust sitting posture
The contact surface between the back and the backrest is small, and the force is concentrated
Easy to cause pressure ulcers on the contact surface
At the same time, it will increase the burden on the waist
You can increase the contact area between the back and the back pad by loosening the back pad
If there is no backrest pad, you can also increase the contact surface between the back and backrest pad by filling the gap between the back and backrest with a towel
If possible, you can choose a reclining wheelchair by adjusting the angle between the backrest and seat to a suitable angle, increasing the contact surface between the body and the wheelchair, and averaging the force applied
As a means of transportation for people with physical disabilities or limited mobility, wheelchairs are not only used in rehabilitation care, but also frequently in daily life. Due to frequent use, many people take the use of wheelchairs as a matter of course and use so-called "common sense" to operate them, ignoring their correct usage methods. Accidents caused by improper use often occur.