Chair Free Wheel Article

Manual Versus Electric Wheelchairs

If you're in the market to buy any type of wheelchair, chances are that the question has come up whether or not you should buy an electric wheelchair or a manual one. There are many advantages to each of the wheelchair types, and you'll have to think about all the pros and cons of each before you decide to purchase one.

A major factor in deciding which type of wheelchair to get would be the person's body frame. Does he or she have a small body frame, large body frame, medium? That will tell you how big or small of a wheelchair that you need to order. Another thing that's very important that you must take into consideration is how active that person is or is going to be. What did they do before they were confined to the wheelchair? If you're not sure about that question, probably the best thing to do would be to get a lightweight manual wheelchair. Even though you may not know how active the person may be, a lightweight manual wheelchair will allow a person to do many things while being in the wheelchair. For example, lightweight wheelchairs are an excellent choice for those who want to stay active, play sports especially, or are out and about for most of the time.

One of the big questions is next. What type of wheel will you be purchasing? Will it be a manual one or an electric one? A manual one would be good for someone who has excellent upper mobility strength, or for someone who would like to improve their upper mobility. Obviously, if someone has very good reason for not being in a manual wheelchair (i.e. paralyzed from the neck down), an electric wheelchair is the only option. There are a couple downsides to the electric wheelchair, however. One of those is that the electric components of the chair that move it and provide mobility for it may at times fail or give out. This would not be too good for someone who is totally reliant on their wheelchair and for someone who has no other help around in case something does go wrong with the chair. On the other hand, an electric wheelchair will help the person move with ease without having to exert much physical force. Also, the cost of electric wheelchairs are generally going to be more expensive than manual ones. However, if one has Medicare or another type of medical insurance to cover all or most of the cost of the chosen wheelchair, the price will not really be relevant.

Of course, even before thinking and deciding about which wheelchair to choose, your physician should be consulted first. The physician might have a recommendation, or even require a person to be in some sort of wheelchair for specific reasons. If that is the case, then the decision for most of the wheelchair specifications will be written out by the doctor. But not to worry: there are plenty of modifications to any wheelchair that you can have, and these can be found out by speaking with the wheelchair's manufacturer.