Orthopedic chairs - Wheelchairs and mobility scooters

Both wheelchairs and mobility scooters are seated aids that enable someone who is unable to walk, or who has difficulty walking, to get around.

A wheelchair can be pushed by a carer, powered by its owner, or use an electric motor.

A mobility scooter always uses power from an electric motor, but these scooters come in many forms, sizes and price ranges. Some are road worthy and many have lights and horns.

This page contains a number of links that will take you to further pages with much more detail about these wheeled aids, however the following paragraphs provide a summary of what is available.

Wheelchairs

The two standard types of wheelchair are the self powered wheelchair and the electric wheelchair or powerchair.

Electric wheelchairs tend to be used by those who do not have sufficient arm strength to wheel themselves, whilst the standard wheelchair can be controlled with great dexterity by its user.

Standard wheelchairs come in a massive range of styles and some come with a number of specialist applications. In addition to a typical wheelchair that is used in the home, on the street, and for routine mobility there are a number of special sports wheelchairs.

These sports wheelchairs have high Tec design features that give them extra speed, a lighter and stronger frame, additional impact protection and deft handling. All of these traits mean that they open up a range of sports to anyone who is confined to a seated position. Being in a wheelchair no longer restricts the activities in which someone can participate.

There are a number of companies who manufacture these sports wheelchairs and most are suitable for a variety of sports. However, for those who want to go beyond a generalist sports wheelchair there are specially designed models for sports like –

• Tennis, badminton and table tennis.


• Track racing, e.g. sprinting, distance racing and road racing.


• Shooting and archery, where locking the position of the chair is important.


• Basketball, the biggest of all the wheelchair sports and a major spectator event.


• A general sporting wheelchair will be suitable for all of the sports above, but for those who wish to take their participation and expertise to a higher level the sport-specific wheelchair will be a necessity.


• One final area of wheelchair specialism is in the field of extreme sports where special designs allow an individual to ski or water ski and to travel rapidly over uneven ground using a purpose designed wheelchair.

Mobility scooters

The mobility scooter has become one of the most popular mobility aids of recent years, mainly because the price of these scooters has come down so rapidly.

Add to this the travel range that they can achieve on a full battery charge and you have something that can give an increasing number of people enhanced mobility beyond the confines of their home.

Mobility scooters can be relatively small and light and some will even fold up and fit in a car or in a travel compartment in a train or aircraft. Most however are larger, designed for comfort and have carrying compartments that make independent shopping an easy task. Their range also makes comparatively long trips feasible without the need for buses or other modes of transport.

Mobility scooters fall into two categories. Those intended only for use on pavements or sidewalks and those with dual speed controls that can be used on roads and highways. Different countries and different regions have varying regulations, restrictions and legal requirements for this kind of scooter, so it is important to be informed about what to buy and how it can be used in your particular nation.

To find out more about mobility scooters go to this page mobility scooter info where information about a scooter's travel range, performance, accessories and specification are described. There is also some information indicating the types of person and mobility challenge that will benefit from the ownership of this type of special mobile chair.