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Wheelchair appropriateness in children with cerebral palsy: A single center experience
Timur Ekiz1, Sibel Özbudak Demir2, Hatice Gözde Sümer2
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Elbistan State Hospital, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
Insights
Most children with cerebral palsy (CP) use inappropriate wheelchairs, highlighting a critical need for customized mobility solutions. This study reveals significant issues with wheelchair fit, impacting 80% of young CP patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Assistive Technology
- Cerebral Palsy Research
Background:
- Wheelchair appropriateness is crucial for users, yet understudied in pediatric cerebral palsy (CP).
- Previous research focused on general wheelchair users and spinal cord injury patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and describe wheelchair appropriateness in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
- To identify common areas of wheelchair misfit in this population.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 30 children with cerebral palsy (mean age 10.8 years).
- A rehabilitation physician assessed all wheelchair components using standardized criteria.
- Wheelchairs were deemed inappropriate if three or more parts did not fit correctly.
Main Results:
- 80% of children (24/30) used wheelchairs deemed inappropriate.
- Commonly misfit components included seat depth (70%), cushion (56.7%), seat height (53.3%), and footrest (53.3%).
- Most wheelchairs (93.3%) were obtained without a prescription, and 16.7% of children experienced falls.
Conclusions:
- A high prevalence of inappropriate wheelchairs (80%) was observed in children with cerebral palsy.
- Individually designed wheelchairs are recommended to ensure proper fit and function.
- Addressing wheelchair prescription and customization is vital for this population.
Background:
Although wheelchair appropriateness has been studied in general wheelchair users and spinal cord injury patients, it has not been studied in children with cerebral palsy yet.
Objective:
To describe the wheelchair appropriateness in children with cerebral palsy.
Materials And Methods:
Thirty children with cerebral palsy were included. Demographical and clinical features of the children were noted. All wheelchair parts were evaluated by the same rehabilitation physician who has attended a wheelchair-training course. Overall, the wheelchair was accepted as inappropriate if at least three parts were inappropriate.
Results:
There were 30 children (15 M, 15 F) with a mean age of 10.8 ± 3.5 years. Seat depth (n= 21, 70%), cushion (n= 17, 56.7%), seat height (n= 16, 53.3%), and footrest (n= 16, 53.3%) were the most common inappropriate parts. Overall, 24 (80%) of the children use inappropriate wheelchair. Two (6.7%) children obtained wheelchairs by prescription, 28 (93.3%) obtained without prescription. Twenty-nine wheelchairs were manual and one wheelchair was motorized. Among 30 children, five (16.7%) experienced at least one wheelchair-related fall.
Conclusion:
In the light of our results, 80% of the children with cerebral palsy seem to use inappropriate wheelchair. Individually designed wheelchairs should be maintained for these children.