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Seating pressures with conventional and dynamic wheelchair cushions in tetraplegia
1Spinal Cord Injury Unit, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Division, WA 98108, USA.
Objective:
To compare pressure relief from a dynamic wheelchair cushion to a tilt-in-space wheelchair with conventional cushions.
Study Design:
Repeated measures analysis.
Setting And Subjects:
Spinal cord injury unit; 16 tilt-in-space wheelchair users with motor-complete tetraplegia.
Main Outcome Measures:
Interface pressure at ischial tuberosities.
Results:
Mean ischial pressure with subjects seated upright on the dynamic cushion during the low ischial pressure phase was lower than tilted pressure on the gel cushion, but it was not significantly different from tilted pressure on the dry-flotation cushion (dynamic/upright, 71 mm Hg; gel/tilted, 86 mm Hg; dry-flotation/tilted, 74 mm Hg; p<.05 dynamic vs. gel). Mean ischial pressure with subjects upright on the dynamic cushion during the high ischial pressure phase was significantly greater than the gel/upright and dry-flotation/upright conditions (dynamic/upright, 157 mm Hg; gel/upright, 128 mm Hg; dry-flotation/upright, 111 mm Hg; p<.001).
Conclusion:
The dynamic cushion produces similar pressure relief over the ischial tuberosities during the low pressure phase to a tilt-in-space wheelchair and conventional cushions. The dynamic cushion may be an alternative to a tilt-in-space wheelchair for some individuals.