Solve the problems of pressure injury and pressure sore in wheelchair sitting position?
Solve the problems of pressure injury and pressure sore in wheelchair sitting position?
|From: Pexels
After becoming a wheelchair user, you can always hear a lot of reminders about "sitting upright in a wheelchair" and "Pay attention to the wheelchair posture", otherwise it will cause pressure sores, muscle injuries and other problems. Why do wheelchair users need to consider various sitting posture problems? Why is the prevention of pressure ulcers closely related to the posture maintenance of wheelchair users?
Sitting posture and pressure sore
First of all, let's understand an objective fact: the pressure on the hips in sitting posture is 40% - 90% higher than that in standing posture - which means that when the human body is in sitting posture, almost all of the weight of the human body is concentrated on the hips, which is why sitting posture has a high risk of causing pressure injuries and pressure sores.
Why wheelchair users are more prone to pressure sores
Wheelchair users are in a state of life of maintaining sitting posture for a long time, and some wheelchair users are unable to sit up straight or upright due to insufficient trunk capacity due to physical injury, or they know that they are sitting askew or sliding down but do not have enough strength to straighten up. Some wheelchair users have sensory deficits, resulting in users being unable to realize that they have "sat for a long time" or "felt a little uncomfortable". After physical injury or illness, the physical function and ability have changed, leading wheelchair users to more or less experience pressure injuries and pressure sores caused by sitting for a long time or sitting inappropriately.
When wheelchair users are found to have signs of pressure injuries or pressure sores or have wounds, and when they perceive that the pelvis and spine are skewed and deformed, they will choose to "add a cushion" to help solve the sitting posture problem. It is a good idea to purchase a cushion to help alleviate the problem of sitting posture, but the problem of sitting posture cannot be completely solved only by adding a cushion of any style or type!
How to reduce the frequency of wheelchair posture problems?
In terms of wheelchair sitting posture, the key is to take into account that when the user is in a wheelchair, in addition to the hips, the spine and pelvis are in contact with the wheelchair. The three are not independent when sitting in a wheelchair, and have complementary interactions.
When there are pressure injuries and pressure sores, sometimes adding cushions cannot achieve the desired effect; It may be the pressure injury caused by too much force on the coccosacral bone due to the backward sliding of the pelvis, or it may be the pressure injury caused by too much pressure on the unilateral hip due to the oblique sitting posture of the pelvis due to the unsuitable width of the wheelchair seat.
Reduce the frequency of wheelchair sitting posture problems, mainly following the principle of "adaptive wheelchair+adaptive cushion+adaptive backrest". If the cushion is not used with an appropriate wheelchair and a suitable backrest, it cannot play a complete function.
Wheelchairs, cushions and backrests complement each other, achieve each other and give full play to their respective functions and "strengths"
● Stabilize the pelvis and spine, so that users can sit comfortably
● Disperse the pressure in sitting position, prevent and reduce the frequency of pressure injuries and pressure sores
● Reduce pain caused by sitting discomfort
Choosing a wheelchair that is suitable for your personal situation can greatly reduce the sitting posture problems that wheelchair users will encounter. With timely relaxation exercise and decompression training, you can make your daily life more happy and beautiful.