Special Types of Wheelchair

1. Standard Adult - designed for persons who weight less than 200 lbs and for limited use in rough surface or various functional activities.

2. Heavy Duty - For persons weighing more than 200 lbs and those whose persons vigorous functional activities.

3. Child - For persons with body built smaller than adult but larger than a child.

4. Growing - Designed to permit adjustment in the frame to accommodate the growth of the users

5. Intermediate - Patients approximately age of 6 years old

6. Indoor - Constructed for indoor use only. It has large drive wheels placed in front of the chair and casters are placed in the rear

7. Hemiplegic - Seat is lowered approximately 2 inches to allow better use of the user's lower extremities to propel the chair.

8. Amputee- The rear wheel axles are positioned approximately 2 inches posterior to allow greater or wider base of support and compensate for the loss of weight of the users lower extremities.

9. One Hand Drive- Two hand rims are fabricated on the hand drive wheel and the linkage bar connects the drive wheels. The smaller hand rim propels the rear drive wheel; large hand rim propels the far drive wheel.

10. Externally Powered- Propelled by the deep battery system and there are various types of control to operate the chair

11. Sports - It has features like low back, canted rear wheels, small hand rim and adjusted axles. It can be used for various activity sports (tennis, basketball, dancing)

12. Reclining- The chair is able to semi recline or fully recline. Elevating leg rest and hardest extensions are in this wheelchair.

Wheelchairs

Wheelchair is an ambulatory device given to people who many not be capable of using the lower extremities for walking


Parts of the Wheelchair

1. Handgrip
2. Back Tube
3. Back/Backrest
a. standard
b. Reclining

4. Armrest
a. Fixed armrest- is a continuous part of the frame and is detachable
b. Fixed offset armrest - give extra width for the chair
c. Desk armrest - has a step in the front to permit fitting under desk or table surfaces.
d. detachable armrest- permits side transfer

5. Footrest- maybe standard, swinging, detachable of swinging detachable and elevating
6. Foot Plates- maybe have heel loops with ankle strap or toe loops.
a. Heel loops- prevent the foot from slipping backward of the footplate.
b. Toe Loops or ankle straps- used to help control involuntary motion and maintain the position of the foot on the footplate.

7. Tires- are usually solid in indoors

8. Hand rims

9. Wheel level/locks

10. Tipping lever

11. Seat

12. Caster

13. Cross Brace

14. Bottom Rail Bar

15. Seat rail

16. Back Post

Definition of Terms

Anemia- where there is a lower than normal number of red blood cells in the blood or there is decrease in the amount of hemoglobin.

Aphasia- total or partial loss of the ability to speak correctly or understand and comprehend what is being said.

Stroke - When the blood flow to the brain is cut-off or impaired.

Shock - When the blood supply to the vital organ is inadequate.

Aneurysm - ballooning of the blood vessel

Signs- objective findings of the examiner or physician


Symptoms- What the patient feel

Thrombus -stationary clot or a blood clot that stay


Embolus- Traveling clot


Atrophy- decrease in the size or wasting away of a part of the body


Arteriosclerosis - hardening of the blood vessel

Atheroscelerosis- hardening of the blood vessel or when there is fatty deposits/fat deposits


Ulcer- a hole in the skin, stomach and mucous membrane in the blood vessel

Metastasis- spreading of the cancer cells from one organ or tissue to another

Abscess- localized connection of pus.