Rachel Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Do any of you use wheelchair cushions? Do you make your own or buy the $100-$400 ones? Do they help at all? I get sore sitting in my wheelchair for an hour because I can't sit up straight that long. So my tailbone hurts. And sometimes my leg bones hurt because I lean over so far to the side. But the cushions are so expensive! I can't afford the expensive ones, but I'm not sure if the ones that are less than $100 will actually work well. Any advice is welcome.Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Hi,I have the expensive one. It adjust to my body and it is very confortable.I just can't stand hospital wheelchairs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzygirl Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 hey good topic! I dont have any pointers.. but in glad tht you started this topic b/c iwas just thinking to day that i need some butt/lumbar cushion for my chair....I can quite literally feel your discomfort.. I ve been in my chair all day today while i have to do anything.. one of those. days.. and my darie air is like numb..lol.. legs ouchies...will your insurance cover any cushions for you chair??a less exspensive though if they dont.. have you ever slepp on a memory foam pillow or something>>?? I ask b/c i was thinking of buying some memory foam pillows and using that for my chair..good luck to ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 I don't have insurance right now. :-( Otherwise I'd be getting a new wheelchair too! Part of my problem is that the seat on my wheelchair is stretching out and I'm sitting on the metal bars underneath. Ouch! So I was hoping that it would be cheaper to buy a cushion to get me by until February when I qualify for Medicare. I just found my local Independent Living Center. Sometimes they have jay cushions and roho cushions that you can borrow. So I'll be calling them this week. But I'd like to get my own cushion if I can. There are so many cushions to choose from that I don't know what to get! There's gel, air, foam, and combinations of those! I've called all sorts of stores that sell wheelchairs and medical supplies, but none of them have cushions to look at. They only special order them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biatecki Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Rachel,If you are sitting in a wheelchair for more than just 20 mins or so then its essencial that you have a cushion.I cannot understand any medical company selling a wheelchair without advising on a cushion. I also know that most companies will not rent out cushions..for very obvious hygene reasons.There is no need to go to the expense of a roho ,or gel cushion, unless you spend most of the day in a wheelchair or have pressure /skin breakdown issues.Look for one of the lower end cushions such as a Geo Matt, or BFO ,,you can also get hard plastic inserts to put between the sagging seat sling and the cushion to give a more supportive base .Hope this helpsMargaret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Margaret,Where do you find the BFO cushions? I've looked online, but didn't find any. Is there a particular online store that would be good? It's hard for me to go out to stores to do shopping. I've checked spinlife.com, but theirs were mostly the expensive ones. Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gena Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Rachel,I found these cushions online at Vitalitymedical.com http://www.vitalitymedical.com/Catalog/Cus...-Pads-162-.htmlThey do carry simple foam pads and gel pads from $44 too the much more expensive pads. Also, I found some relatively inexpensive ones at allegromedical.com http://www.allegromedical.com/browse/brows...elchair+cushionThey start as low as $40.Here is a geo matt cushion that Margaret mentioned..http://www.imed.com/shop/detail.cfm/sku/K6947/rfr/BEYAnd one last site. I like this one b/c it shows actual user ratings of the cushions.http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=92HOPE THIS HELPS!(P.S. A brand new cushion (that I've never used) came with my wheelchair (only use my wheelchair to roll myself to the bathroom in the middle of the night). If I can find the cushion, I'd be happy to mail it to you. HugsGena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 This good, i have a little portable chair, that if I sit in longer than 15 minutes, it just kills my back. Thanks for the sites, I'll have to take a look see....morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Thanks for the links, Gena. I'll check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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