This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Sorry to be a bummer, but my husband is looking at wheelchairs now. We would like some input from people with MS who use chairs. He has the option of paying nothing to get a basic self-propelled chair or paying 1,000 euros extra for the Kuschall brand, which looks more compact, easy to move around in, lighter....but is it worth paying so much out of our own pocket? He'll still walk while he can, but for distances, he needs help.

me personally i would use a standard chair. the kuschall looks hard to get out of

i am in a wheelchair

The most comfortable is best; and I believe standard wheelchair are better; more modulable; with retractable pedals or even arm rests, etc...

I use a basic wheelchair for shopping etc. I walk short distances. I recently got a Mambo 21 micro wheelchair but at 46Kg it is much more dificult to get in and out of a car.

I prefer the basic one as it gives me more independance - I can manage it on my own.

One word of caution - or just advice - about using a wheelchair:

I never progressed in disability as quickly as I did once I began relying more and more on my chair!

I know it is inevitable for most of us but I seemed to exercise/walk less once I started using the chair.

Please tell your husband to try and walk as much as he can even after getting a chair!

When it comes to walking - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

Best Wishes!

_________________
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Al Einstein

Thanks for the 3 responses!
We just found out that there is a center near us (the only one in the country?!), that allows you to try out different styles. The only problem being, that you need to wait a long time for an appointment. Now, had the neurologist suggested that, it would have been helpful to us, and it would have been done by now.
Yes, it is a worry about progression. He will still do some exercises, but for now the chair will help him where it is just too far to walk, like the mall, or a park, or the airport. I will pass on the warning, though.
Thanks again.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have professional advice from a physical therapist familiar with MS when you get a wheelchair. The right fit, angles, wheels, cushions, materials, etc. can make all the difference.

Using a chair does not mean you need to become deconditioned. It means you are choosing if you want to use up your energy struggling to move spastic legs around a shopping mall, a sports center, etc., and then collapse at home or if you want to zip around in a well-fitted personal mobility device for errands and then have some energy left for family and social activities. It means that you might not cringe when someone suggests an outing.

But you have to commit to being active, just like any other priority.

Incidentally, many of those funky wheelchairs are designed for people who have spinal cord injuries. People with MS have different needs. A critical difference is arm strength and fatiguing easily.

Check out wheelchairjunkie.com for explanations of the components in manual chairs.

another one http://www.wheelchairnet.org/wcn_prodse ... ectwc.html

You can rent a chair while you wait for an appointment with the nice center. Do you have a Center for Independent Living near you? You might be able to go and check out a chair temporarily. Or maybe your local MS Society has a lending closet.

Consider this when you wonder about how much money to invest: the design will have an effect on the user's entire body. It can wear out shoulder joints if it's not easy to propel. It can cause pain and increase spasticity if the fit and angle are not right. It can heighten risk for skin breakdown if the seating is poor. But the right chair will increase independence and comfort. I would invest in a decent chair and a knowledgeable therapist to help evaluate the right fit.

Best wishes.

Thanks bluesky...I think I knew your other name, but I haven't been on here in so long I can't remember it!
Yes, this center is run by a physiotherapist...I only found out about it, because I asked someone about their chair while I was at the hospital yesterday waiting for my husband to have a test done. Well, he was very kind and took me to the center, and told all that you have said above. I was amazed that none of the doctors we have seen have ever mentioned the center's existence! I will try to see if we can rent or borrow something while we wait for our turn there...but then you don't want to use the wrong thing then either!
Thanks for the advice!
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