What is a tilt-in-space wheelchair function and how is it helpful?
This is an easy summary for parents to read with their children.
If you have a tilt-in-space function in your wheelchair, it is one of the most important functions that your wheelchair has.
It is important to tilt your chair back a number of times throughout your day.
Tilting back is a safe thing to do.
Your chair has been designed to do this without tipping over backwards.
Tilting your chair back helps to look after your body and your energy.
It helps to:
1. Look after your skin
When you tilt back, your body will push into the chair at different points over your skin.
This gives the sitting areas of skin a chance to recover and prevents them from getting sore.
2. Keep you comfortable when you need to sit for a long time.
Our body is designed to move.
When it doesn’t move, it becomes stiff, sore, and tired.
Adjusting or stretching gives our body a break and re-energises it.
The tilt-in-space function does this movement for you.
3. Have a rest.
Sitting upright all day is hard work.
The muscles in your upper body have to work hard to keep you sitting up tall, they get tired.
Resting back for a short time is the best way to restore your body’s energy.
Tilt-in-space is safe, but it can be a little scary at first and that is ok.
With practice, your brain can get used to the feeling and allow you to feel safe and relaxed in tilt.
Something for you to practice:
Position yourself in your chair, in front of a full-length mirror, or dark window at night.
Tilt your chair back as far as you feel safe using the controls. Look at your position in the mirror.
Set your phone alarm to 3 minutes, tell yourself “I am safe”, and breathe gently.
After the alarm goes off, try to go back a little further, or stay in this place and try again.
Practice tilting each night.
Aim to be able to comfortably do this a few times throughout the day.
Compiled using images from a Boardmaker® subscription by the neuromuscular team, RCH Melbourne