Your Manual Wheelchair Options

Wheelchairs are marvelous inventions which offer mobility and independence to those who might otherwise bee deprived of them because of a physical disability. Manual wheelchairs are the most common kind; electrical wheelchairs are more expensive and have more technological features. Manual wheelchairs are available in three designs: self-propelled, wheelbase, and attendant-propelled.

Differences in Propulsion Methods

A self-propelled manual wheelchair will have bicycle-type rear wheels ranging between twenty and twenty-six inches in diameter. The self-propelled manual wheelchair moves forward when it occupant pushes forward and downs on the tubular hand rims attached to the outsides of its rear wheels; it will go backward when the user pushes back on the hand rims. Those ho have used a manual wheelchair for a while can maneuver it with ease; they may even be able to balance it on the rear wheels to navigate curbs.

A self-propelled manual wheelchair equipped with single-arm drive allows the user to make left and right-hand turns; one with two-armed drive permits straight line forward and backward movement. And lever-drive self-propelled manual wheelchairs do away with the hand rims; their users propel themselves by back-and-forth pumping on the lever.

Some self-propelled manual wheelchairs have even been designed to let their users participate in sports like basketball; they will go forward while the occupant dribbles the ball.

Designed with handles so that an attendant push it from behind, an attendant-propelled manual wheelchair will often have rear wheels which lack hand rims and are smaller than those on self-propelled chairs. Attendant-propelled wheelchairs are most commonly used in institutions like hospitals, to move patients around or to transport them when they are either being admitted or discharges; they are also used by the airlines to get people on and off planes. These manual wheelchairs are sized to navigate the airplanes' aisles.

The third type of manual wheelchair, the wheelbase, is specifically designed to accommodate users with abnormal postures. The wheelchair's occupant will have a cast made of his or her healthiest sitting posture; the chair's foam seating system will then be molded to match it. The seat is then placed in a supporting frame to which the wheelbase is attached.

Prices

The range of prices of manual wheelchairs corresponds to their wide variety. Lightweight manual wheelchairs designed for those who will be using them long-term require special materials more expensive than those used in basic tubular-framed chairs.

One advantage of lightweight wheelchairs, however, is that under very specific circumstances, their cost may be covered as a purchase under Medicare code K0005. The lightweight chairs must be necessity users who can still remain active and need the wheelchairs to enable them to drive get to their jobs, and do all the other things which will let them continue to be independent. If you're shopping for a manual wheelchair and think you qualify, review the Medicare rules carefully and discuss them with your wheelchair vendor.