This method is much better than being pushed up because the front wheels won’t dig in. Also, it looks more natural to be pulled up – like a friendly handshake. Not to mention, a good excuse to hold hands with a nearby pretty girl.
Posts under ‘Wheelchair Tips’
Bumping Down Stairs with One Rail
Using only one arm to guide you while you bump down stair-by-stair allows the other arm free to hold onto your legs.
Bumping Down Stairs with Two Rails
In this method, simply hold the rails, allowing your hands to slip down along the rails as you bump stair-by-stair.
New Age Style for Going Up Stairs
This one I find trickier but some crips I have met swear by this method. The helper stays on the side of the chair and pulls the chair up by the hand rims. This is done one stair at a time with the wheelie pulling on the stair rail at the same time.
Traditional Bumping Up Stairs
In this trick, someone stands behind you and pulls while making sure the chair is tipped back enough so that you don’t fall out the front of the chair. The wheelie can provide support by pulling along the stair rail. Do one stair at a time. This does take practice but once you get the [...]
Wheels, Tires and Casters
Wheels Wheel Size – As outlined in other articles wheel sizes currently range from 24” to 26”. Most people go with 24” wheels as they are the standard size but taller people (or people with longer arms) find they benefit more from having larger wheels. Larger wheels are more efficient (not necessarily easier) to push [...]
X-Core Wheels Maintanence
The X-Core wheels have a tendency to squeak due to corrosion buildup and slight movement of the hand rim studs. Obviously this is bad. Therefore, I have created this guide to removing the X-core squeak: Remove the 6 bolts that hold the hand rim to the wheel. The best way to do this is to [...]
Will this chair fit me?
At some point in time, every wheelchair user is going to need to be fitted. Yet, if you do not have an OT (Occupational Therapist) fit you, you probably don’t know exactly where to start or what to measure. Let me preface this article by saying that this advice is not a substitute for a [...]
Wheelchair Skills Training Manual
Table of contents: Safety Safety: Safety of the clinician Basic movement skills Propelling forward Propulsion patterns Propelling on carpet Turning left and right 360 Cross slope Propelling backwards Navigating around obstacles Ramps: Ascending Stopping in the middle to rest Descending Slaloming down Wheelie down Ramps with uneven terrain at the bottom Caster trail Reaching: Reaching [...]
Wheelchair Seating Demystified
So you buy this new chair. It arrives, and you assemble it, and it sits gleaming in your living room, waiting for you to sit and push. Yet it is missing something fundamental… …a cushion. There are about five million different brands, models and types of cushions to choose from, or so it seems when [...]