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New to Wheelchairs? Here's what you should know.
Living Large and Staying Active
| PRO TIP : Staying as active as your abilities will allow is critical for the chairbound adventurist. Are you ready to have fun, then check these activities out! Wheelchair Sports |
Don't Fall Backwards
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Anti-tip bars are particularly useful when you have to pop the front up but need to remain in control in the back. Do not get in the habit of rocking back on them. You will end up on the floor the time you forget to put them on. View Anti-tip bars |
Learn Your Routes
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Locate curb ramps around your most frequented routes. It really sucks when you're crossing a street only to be trapped on the road because there isn't a way back onto the sidewalk. View the Top 10 Places to Live for Wheelchair Users |
Keep Your Hands Clean
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Avoid rolling over anything "unpleasant" on the ground, like items left behind by dogs. It might end up on your hands… Hand sanitizer will be your friend. Here's some sanitary wipes |
Strengthen Your Hands Slowly
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Get some decent push gloves and cycle on and off to build up calluses instead of blisters. Here's some push gloves |
Get The Right Chair
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A custom wheelchair is 10x more comfortable than a stock hospital wheelchair. Check these wheelchairs out |
Protect Your Posture
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An inflatable cushion makes the chair infinitely more comfortable. The last thing you'll want is a pressure ulcer from spending hours upon hours sitting. Here are some cushions to look at |
Save Yourself Trips to the Bike Shop
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If your tires are inflatable, buy a pump. It saves tons of time in the long run. Get a good electric or manual tire pump with a pressure guage. Here's a great pump |
Brakes Are Your Friends
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Make sure you have the proper tools to adjust the brakes on the chair. Some brakes will become loose and out of alignment over time. Depending on the brakes, it might just be an allen wrench set and normal wrench. Here's the best brakes we've seen |
Carry It With You
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Adding a backpack to the back of your chair is helpful for carrying around whatever tools may be necessary for upkeep and catheter supplies. Here's the backpack we use |
Crossing Hills
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Hills are hard to traverse and tend to pull chairs to the side. Even seemingly level ground may have a noticeable slope. Products like the Freewheel have a dampener which help wheelchairs keep a straight course when traversing a hillside. Here's the Freewheel or check out our seated Segways |
Avoid Punctures
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Watch out for glass, if a tire gets punctured it can leave you stranded. You can buy solid tires to avoid punctures. Here's some solid tires |
Are There Stairs?
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If making plans to go out, make sure your destination is wheelchair accessible. Whether or not you need to make reservations for a restaurant or other establishment, I recommend calling ahead of time and making sure it is clear that a wheelchair is involved in the group, especially when going to private properties. Add "Do you have stairs?" and "Which floor is the bathroom on?" |
Cracks On Your Path
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If a crack on the walkway is too big for your front caster wheels, either pop a wheelie over it or turn around and wheel over it backwards because your rear wheels can handle the crack a lot better than your casters and won't dump you out as easily. |
Use Both of Your Hands
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Use a cup holder to put your drink in on a daily basis, use two cup holders when you plan to go out and you want to be able to buy a drink for yourself and someone else, then bring it over to them. Here's our favorite cupholder |
One Leg at a Time
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When you are getting dressed, put everything on one leg before you put it on the other. Start with your underwear, then pant leg, sock and shoe. This makes it so you just pick up and lift each leg only once. Otherwise, you might pick up each leg 4-5 times making getting dressed exhausting. Here's a reacher to help |