Abstract
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.
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