Wheelchair consequences

[Sunshine 2]

I am in wheelchair almost the entire day. if I walk more than many steps my shins are at risk for spasms

how many of us here are mainly in wheelchairs and what do you find are the medical consequences

[agate]

I'm mainly in a wheelchair and find that the extra bracing it provides helps me to get less tired. The bracing has to be right, though. I have problems with the footrests, especially with the left foot, because they put my feet at a somewhat tilted-up angle. I've tried lengthening the legrest but it can't be done because then the footrest drags on the ground. My solution is to rest my left foot on the floor quite often, instead of the footrest. Otherwise my feet cramp and I've had some foot pain that were helped by this new routine.

I recall Cat Dancer recommending tossing the leg/footrests into a closet and forgetting about them. I try that from time to time but the special cushion lifts me up just a bit too high for that to be comfortable for very long. However, I do find that navigating the wheelchair with one foot on the ground makes it easier to propel the chair than by just using my arms to turn the wheels. My arms get tired. Carpeting is a challenge.

I tinker with the wheelchair often, especially the inflatable cushion. I change the height of the armrests sometimes and have a back pillow that goes across my mid-back.

I'm thinking of asking the wheelchair people about a different backrest but will wait until I find out more about the compression fracture.

About 15 years ago I latched onto my first pedometer and was depressed to find that I was averaging only about 500 steps/day. That wheelchair was just too handy, and so I've tried to beef up the step count. For some years now I've been at about 1400 steps a day and am hoping that the added steps are beneficial.

P.S. To Sunshine 2: You may not have noticed there's been a recent post in the May Keep On Moving thread, with some questions for you. The post isn't showing up on the main page but if you open up that thread, you'll see it. Or at least that's the way I'm seeing things.