{"id":76,"date":"2020-01-14T16:03:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T16:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/?p=76"},"modified":"2020-01-14T16:03:21","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T16:03:21","slug":"how-to-choose-your-wheelchair-folding-vs-rigid-frames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/14\/how-to-choose-your-wheelchair-folding-vs-rigid-frames\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose your wheelchair: Folding Vs Rigid Frames"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Manual wheelchairs are of different varieties and designs which include rigid and folding frames. Yet these frames differ in the way that they are designed, constructed and the way they function. This makes each design unique and you will have to be careful when deciding to <a href=\"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/\">rent or purchase one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make the right decision and choose what is right for you, there are\nseveral factors that you must consider. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The type of material used in fabricating the frame of the wheelchair.<\/li><li>The design and <a href=\"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/\">type of wheelchair<\/a> frame that you are choosing.<\/li><li>What are the components included in the wheelchair and if they can or cannot be separated from the frame? This is essential when it comes to weight and size for storage and transportation.<\/li><li>Types of adjustments that you can make to fit your needs such as posture, comfortability as well as efficiency when it comes to better propulsion.\u00a0 <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Frame material<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will determine the wheelchair strength, durability, and weight.\nDurability depends on the ratio of the frame material strength to the ratio of\nthe weight. A wheelchair will be durable if the material used to design and\nconstruct the frame has a higher strength ratio over the weight ratio. Below is\na summary of the variations, pros, and cons of different materials to consider\nwhen making your decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Titanium<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This material has a higher\nstrength to weight ratio as compared to aluminium and that means it requires\nless material when constructing the frame. With titanium, it is easy to create\na lighter frame. Besides, it has high fatigue life and this makes it hard to\nbend or get damaged. Also, it is resistant to corrosion, unlike aluminium that\nrequires an additional coating to protect it. Apart from that, it has been\ndiscovered that titanium has a dampening effect which helps to reduce vibration\nwhen propelling. Studies are still being made to confirm this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aluminium<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a metal that is economical\nand easy to fabricate. The 7000 series aluminum has proven to be much stronger\nas compared to the earlier versions as less material is needed to fabricate and\nhence weight is reduced. The negative side of it is that there are higher\nchances of structural damage to the frame in case it is exposed to strains.\nThis depends on the shape and design of the frame as some are constructed with\nsupport tubes while others are designed in a cantilever style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Carbon\nFibre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently carbon fiber has been\nintroduced in the manufacturing of manual wheelchairs. This material is very\nlight, stiff and corrosion-resistant. The downside of it is that it is\nexpensive and hard to shape. Besides, it has poor impact-resistant where it can\nbe damaged easily. This makes it be used only on some components to reduce the\noverall weight of the wheelchair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The style and components used to\nmake the wheelchair frame will determine the weight of the wheelchair as the\nbase can only cover less than a pound. Even if the frame is not made from titanium\nthe wheelchair must still be lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Weight\nconsideration in your decision making<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\nhave two decisions when considering weight:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>The overall weight of\nthe wheelchair,<\/li><li>The lifting weight that\ninvolves the total frame and other components&#8217; weight as well as the seat\ncushion and the back support.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nthe overall weight is reduced it makes it easy for the user to propel the\nwheelchair. Besides, it helps to improve the durability and efficiency of the\nframe. Remember that during the manufacturing process a wheelchair can start\nwith a lightweight frame and end up installing heavy wheelchair system\ncomponents such as wheels, seat cushions, braking systems, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nis also possible to have a heavy wheelchair that is well configured allowing\nthe wheel propulsion to require less energy making it efficient and easy to\npropel. You have to be careful when making a comparison of the wheelchairs&#8217;\nweights especially when the wheelchairs are from different manufacturers as the\nbase weights are weighed differently depending on which components are\ninstalled or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Folding\nFrames Vs Rigid Frames<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Folding manual\nwheelchair: Normally this has always been regarded as a cross-brace design as\nthe frame folds by half making the sides of the wheelchair slide coming\ntogether. Recently there has been a scissor-brace frame design on wheelchairs\nsuch as the Kuschall Champion brand design that gives the user the ability to\nfold and unfold the wheelchair from either side.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ncross-brace frame is designed in such a way that it involves many moving parts\nthat allow the chair to fold. This adds weight to the frame although this has\nbeen improved. You can find them in both materials such as aluminium, titanium\nand carbon fiber. Initial designs comprised of only footplates which were able\nto flip up out to allow stand transfers. The design was improved and swing-away\nleg rests as well as removable arms got included. This made the wheelchairs\nlighter as some of the components were left out. Some of the wheelchairs come\nwith quick-release axles that help to reduce the transfer weight as well as the\nsize making the chair fit in small vehicles. There is a new version of the\nscissor-brace that folds by pulling in the release system from the front of the\nwheelchair. This makes it possible for the user to reach and fold it easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Rigid Manual Wheelchairs<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The design concept for developing this wheelchair came from\nsports wheelchairs. Initially, the frame was made out of aluminium but later\ntitanium started to be used as well as carbon fiber. Aluminium is mostly used\nin sports wheels as it makes the user use less energy while in propulsion. This\ndesign has few moving parts and this makes the wheelchair base lighter. The\nadvantage of this chair being light is that each push makes the chair move\nfurther with less energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Frame Styles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two main types of rigid manual wheelchair frames. The\nfirst is designed into a monotube which is a single continuous tube that leaves\nthe lower side of the chair open. This makes it easy to bring closer and across\nthe body when you want to transport your wheelchair by a vehicle. Besides less\ntubing, it leads to a drop in the weight of the frame. Using titanium to design\na frame creates a flex which is good for a soft ride but it requires the user\nto use extra energy for a push. Some people prefer a soft ride because it makes\nthem feel more comfortable so they do not mind using extra effort for the push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second design of a rigid frame is designed in a form of a\nbox where it is designed in such a way that it has added support tube that\nhelps in adding rigidity below the frame, as a result, there is less loss of\nenergy. This makes the chair have more space meaning that it is wider or deeper\nbelow thus taking up extra space over the body when being transferred into the\nvehicle. The advantage of this kind of frame is that it offers more stability\nas well as efficiency in propulsion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fixed front ends<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Normally rigid frames have fixed front ends and this means that\nthey never move out of the way for standing transfers. If you would like to\nhave one of these then look for the one that has a single side flip-up\nfootplate which opens the front area of the wheelchair when making a transfer.\nYou should try the frame and see how it works before you decide to buy it. And\nwhen it comes to folding frames quick-release axles will enable you to easily\nremove the wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fixed and adjustable\nframes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rigid frames are found into two categories which are fixed and\nadjustable frames. If you are using a chair and you already know your exact\nmeasurements of the frame as well as the angles, you can order a custom made\nwheelchair that cannot be adjusted as it will come with the measurements that\nsuit you. If you are not sure of your exact body measurements, then an\nadjustable frame will be better for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Configuration of your\nwheelchair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are fit enough to propel your chair whether it is a\nmanual or rigid frame, remember that one of the important things is the proper\nwheel alignment. This must be assessed by a professional or by the OT\/PT.\nProper wheel alignment is essential in protecting your shoulders and wrist as\nwell as providing energy efficiency push-stroke. The wheels must be aligned\nwith the shoulders and fingers to easily reach the axle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is normally based on the ability to balance the wheelchair\ndepending on trippiness and it also depends on your skills and ability to\nmanage the wheelchair with its wheels in a more forward alignment. For newly\ninjured people should start practicing with the wheels further back until they have\ngained their strength, skills as well as trunk balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manual wheelchairs are of different varieties and designs which include rigid and folding frames. Yet these frames differ in the way that they are designed, constructed and the way they function. This makes each design unique and you will have to be careful when deciding to rent or purchase one. To make the right decision&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/14\/how-to-choose-your-wheelchair-folding-vs-rigid-frames\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to choose your wheelchair: Folding Vs Rigid Frames<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/madisonmedicalrental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}