Things You Need To Know Before You Purchase A Foam Wheelchair Cushion

The first thing you need to do is sit down and take the measurements of your wheelchair. There is not a standard size that all foam wheelchair cushions come in, but rather a vast variety of different sizes that range from 15 inches by 15 inches to 20 inches by 20 inches. Make sure you know the size of your wheel chair so that you can find a foam wheelchair cushion that will fit.

The next thing you want to determine is whether you need a high profile, low profile or contour cushion. High profile are usually around four inches thick and meant to provide maximum healing and protection against ischemic ulcers. These cushions are more appropriate for higher risk patients. Low profile foam wheelchair cushions are around two inches in thickness and are ideal for the more active individual. Foam wheelchair cushions that are contoured provide more support then the low profile, but not as much as the high profile. They are far less restricting then high profile cushions and can be used by more active individuals regularly.

My Choice For Foam Wheelchair Cushions

My personal favorite seats for manual wheelchairs are the ones from the ROHO Group. These cushions provide superior support and comfort and are very cost effective. Each of their products conforms to a user’s individual body shape and continuously self adjust with movement. This means enhanced blood flow and comfort and will provide you with a medically and personally superior foam wheelchair cushion. Their seat cushions are fully adjustable to you and come in a variety of types and styles so that you can rest assured knowing you will be able to find the right cushion for your needs.

There are many different cushions out there though and you should search to find the one that works best for you. You may not find that ROHO Group cushions work for you and instead that another company makes a vastly superior product for your personal needs. Luckily there are plenty of different manufactures to choose from so take the time to find the cushion that works best for you.

Why Does ROHO Make The Best Wheelchair Air Cushion On The Market?

There are several reasons why the ROHO wheelchair air cushion is the best. Their design will conform to each user’s unique body shape and continuously adjust themselves with each movement so that blood flow is enhanced and body posture is supported. There is not greater defense against wounds and disease then those contained within the human body, but those defenses need to be supported properly to work. While there are many great things about foam wheelchair cushions, an air cushion is by far the best at support your body’s natural healing process. ROHO has developed by far the best cushion for support of this system. They offer a bunch of different models for people with different needs and can even customer make a cushion if the right one is not available for you. Whether you only need the cushion temporarily or permanently they have something to help you.

The offer back and lower cushions depending on what you need. You can get a variety of options for thickness depending on your mobility level. If you are able to be active then a thinned wheelchair air cushion is in order, less active a thicker one that can help support your skin and circulation to avoid getting sores and sickness. There are also hypid cushions that support different and special needs for certain people. These hypid cushions can offer you what you need when a single thickness cushion is just not fitting right.

In addition you can also get one of ROHO special hypid foam and air cushions for the best of both worlds. These cushions are great people on the go who need a little bit of extra support. Many times a simple change in cushion can improve the quality of life and health by leaps and bounds. If you are experience discomfort or a high number of skin problems, take a look at getting a new cushion.

Options Available On Most Wheelchair Back Cushions

The first thing you need to look at is what the material the cushion is made from. There are basically three types of wheelchair back cushion that you can look at getting. The first is a simply pillow type cushion, normal padding wrapped in some other material. After that you can also get a memory foam wheelchair back cushion. These will conform to your body shape and stay there. Lastly you can get an air filled back cushion. Depending on your needs and price range any of these types can be viable.

A normal style cushion is good for everyday use when just a little comfort is desired. Not too expensive and not too fancy these wheelchair back cushions will provide you with support and comfort. In addition they usually are easily transportable and can be used on normal chairs in addition to wheelchairs.

Memory foam is incredibly comfortable and can provide a bit more support then a normal soft back cushion. The memory foam will slowly conform to you back providing support when muscles can not. These wheelchair back cushions are designed for people who need comfort and support and will be staying in one position for an extended period.

The next type, wheelchair air cushion, can provide and extreme amount support and increased blood flow for longer periods of use. These are best used when movement is minimal and extra support is needed.

After you choose the material you can get other features like heating and special customer covers. Some of the really expensive wheelchair back cushions will provide massage treatment as well. This can do wonders for someone who can not move and has to have blood flow and comfort. All of these options are for cushions though and not support systems. A full support system is something completely different and will require different features and materials. These units may overlap a bit, but you will need to make different choices when looking at them.

Different Kinds Of Wheelchair Cushion Covers

The first thing you need to decide on is the material for your wheelchair cushion cover. You may even want to get a different material for the wheelchair back cushion then you have for the bottom, but that is up to you. You have several different options when it comes to materials as far as wheelchair cushion covers are concerned. Most are synthetic with different blends being dedicated for different temperatures. 90% of the wheelchair cushion covers you will see available in the market place are 100% polyester. After this the next most common, and usually more expensive, cover is ninety one percent polyester and nine percent Lycra. This combination will usually have to be custom made, but offer the best when it comes to variety in patterns and style. You can also get a synthetic sheepskin cover although these usually offer a limited amount of styles and patters. The covers can be used on the seat as well as the back, armrest, footrest, and leg pad areas. Sheepskin is usually very warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If you are willing to pay a bit more, you can even get genuine one hundred percent natural sheepskin covers.

Once you have found the material that you want your wheelchair cushion cover made from you are now ready to pick out the style you want it in. I would go with something a little bit on the dark side as it has a tendency to not fade out as much as something that is lighter. In addition, I would avoid complex and intricate patterns as those may also tend to fade over time. Pretty much after that though the rest is wide open as most manufactures will offer a wide variety of patterns and can probably even do custom work if you need it.

That is all there really is to it, pick your material, pick your pattern then go out and buy your cushion. Hopefully now you have a good idea of what you want to do.

Basic Common Features Of Wheelchair Seat Cushions

The first thing you need to decide on is what type of material you want for your wheelchair seat cushion. This is regardless of what kind of wheelchair cushion cover you decide to go with, as most will be able to go on any type of wheelchair seat cushion. There are two types of wheelchair seat cushions, foam and air. There area advantages and disadvantages of each kind.

Foam cushion adjust and stay adjusted for longer then air cushions. This is a great feature from a comfort level, as the seat will literally conform to your body type. This type of seating is very well suited to people who are more active as the chair will adjust and move on the fly to different body positions, yet still maintain the same level of support. The bad thing with cushions is once they are poken in the can sometimes restrict blood flow and have a higher incidence of sores and other skin problems.

Air cushions also adjust to your body, but do not shape into form when you sit in them. This means that for the most part they are not as comfortable as foam wheelchair seat cushions. For what they lack in comfort air seats make up for in support. They do a great job of increasing the blood flow to the legs and hips and are very good for people who are extremely restricted in their movements. They provide a lot more support than a foam seat cushion and are the perfect choice for the person who needs support and blood flow.

In addition to the material, you also need to consider the thickness of the wheelchair seat cushion. A thickness of about 2 inches is perfect for people who are on the go and moving around quite a bit. If your movement is more restrictive, look for seats with around 4 inches of padding. There are also hypid thickness seats which can provide you with the best of both types if you are somewhere in between.

Basics Of A Wheelchair Cushion

Wheelchair cushions come in a variety of styles and kinds, but each has a specific purpose and is designed for a specific purpose. For me I have found that the wheelchair cushions from the ROHO Group provide all the versatility and comfort I need. Their cushions conform to each user’s individual body shape and will continuously self adjust with movement to enhance blood flow and support your posture. They offer many distinct kinds of wheelchair cushions each with a specific purpose. They even can build custom cushions for those with exacting needs.

The wheelchair cushion I currently use from ROHO is the MOSIAC cushion. This cushion's is designed for users who only need a basic level of skin protection, support and comfort. The MOSIAC, like all of the ROHO cushions, uses air floatation technology to allow the interconnected air cells to distribute the forces evenly across the surface of the seat.

I also looked at and may end up switching to the SPIRIT cushion. This cushion is unlike anything I have ever seen; it combines a foam cushion with the air technology. The contoured foam base is designed to allow increased stability for transfers and provide exceptional positioning of the pelvis and lower extremities for enhance sitting posture. This is then combined with the ROHO Groups dry flotation technology to provide the ultimate in skin protection in the ischia, sacrum, and coccyx area. This critical placement and construction lead me to consider this if I ever decide to replace my MOSIAC cushion.

Those are only two of the many cushions from ROHO that are designed to help people like you or your loved ones to not only be as comfortable as possible, but also to have the medical support they require to heal properly to get back to leading a normal life. If you have not looked at ROHO cushions then I can not recommend doing so enough.